Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterised by widespread inflammation and tissue damage and is incurable with few treatment options. The disease is estimated to affect approximately 5 million people globally. Patients have significant unmet clinical needs, due to the heterogeneous and dynamic nature of the biological and clinical presentation of the condition. Several attempts have been made to subtype patients, but with limited success.

To our knowledge, no study has yet combined a matrix of biological, clinical and patient-reported quality-of-life factors together for multifactorial stratification or validated its impact in streamlining clinical care. This project offers a unique collaboration between the health tech consultancy, VISFO, and the University of York to develop support applications for both healthcare professionals (HCPs) and SLE patients, relating this directly to the investigation of biological samples.

The student would therefore work with data scientists to analyse large clinical datasets, work on a patient-focussed decision support application, and generate biological data from human samples in the lab.