Dr Paul Bowness tells us about his work on spondyloarthritis. Dr Paul Bownessis works on Ankylosing Spondylitis, the commonest form of spondyloarthritis. This rheumatic disease seems to be caused by an overacting immune system. It has a major genetic component: at least 5-10 genes are known to contribute the disease, with HLA-B27 being by far the most important. Dr Bowness studies how these genes work in the immune systems of both healthy people and patients with arthritis.