Anne Barton

Anne Barton is a Professor of Rheumatology at the University of Manchester, serving as Lead of the Centre for Musculoskeletal Research and as an Honorary Consultant in Rheumatology at Central Manchester Foundation Trust. She is the Research Lead for the Inflammatory arthritis in adults research theme of the NIHR Manchester Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit and is affiliated with the Arthritis Research UK Centre for Genetics and Genomics.

Professor Barton's primary research interests focus on two key areas: outcome studies examining predictors of disease progression in inflammatory conditions, and genetics and genomics research with emphasis on rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis. Her methodological expertise spans sample collection, genetic analysis using various software platforms, epigenetics, and microbiome studies. She has established the Biologics in RA Genetics and Genomics Study Syndicate (BRAGGSS), which has become the world's largest collection of DNA samples from patients receiving biologic therapies for rheumatoid arthritis.

Her recent research demonstrates a strong translational focus, applying genetic and genomic findings to improve clinical outcomes for arthritis patients. She has pioneered work in pharmacogenetics to predict treatment response and leads major international consortia in psoriatic arthritis genetics, including chairing the PAGE (Psoriatic Arthritis Genetic European) consortium.

• MRC Clinical Training Fellowship recipient
• Wellcome Trust Advanced Fellow (2003-2007)
• Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP, 2005)

Professor Barton plays a significant role in academic training as an advisor to undergraduate medical students, project coordinator for the MSc Rheumatology program, and OSCE examiner. She is actively involved in multiple research projects including the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (2022-2027) and research on improving the benefit:harm balance of opioids for non-cancer pain (2021-2027).

Her work has been featured in major media outlets including The Manchester Evening News and The Independent for developing tests to predict response to arthritis treatment, highlighting the real-world impact of her research on patient care.