Dr Alessandra Nerviani
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Clinical Senior Lecturer/Honorary Consultant
Centre: Centre for Experimental Medicine and Rheumatology
Email: a.nerviani@qmul.ac.uk
Profile
- ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4064-4014
Alessandra Nerviani studied Medicine and specialised in General Internal Medicine (GIM) at the Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy, before moving to London in 2013 as a PhD student and Clinical Research Fellow at the Centre for Experimental Medicine and Rheumatology, William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London. Her PhD (2017) investigated the Tyro3-Axl-MerTK (TAM) receptor family in rheumatoid arthritis, focusing on synovial expression and its relationship to histopathology and treatment response, supported by a EULAR Scientific Bursary.
She was appointed as a Versus Arthritis (now Arthritis UK) Clinical Lecturer and Specialist Registrar in Rheumatology in 2019, training across Barts Health NHS Trust and the Royal Free Hospital and completing her CCT in Rheumatology in 2023. Since January 2023, she has been Clinical Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in Rheumatology, based jointly at the Centre for Experimental Medicine and Rheumatology (WHRI, QMUL) and the Department of Rheumatology, Barts Health NHS Trust, Mile End Hospital.
Dr Nerviani is clinically active, leading the Early Inflammatory Arthritis Service at Mile End Hospital, and her clinical-translational research focuses on psoriatic arthritis, alongside synovial biopsy-driven work in rheumatoid arthritis. She has been a Sub-investigator on several large multicentre randomised trials, including R4RA and STRAP/STRAP-EU. She leads the WHRI PhD Symposium and is Co-Chair of the BRC MSK PPIE Committee, engaging patients and the local community to help ensure equitable access to care — including leading the organisation of the first NIHR Barts BRC Patients and Family Day in 2024, now an annual event.
Research
Group members
- Dr James Perera (Clinical PhD Student)
- Miguel Lopes (PhD Student)
- Dr Zainab Kallow (Clinical Research Fellow)
Mile-End Clinical Research Team
- Marta Sobrado (Research Nurse)
- Winifred Chimah (Research Nurse)
- Diane Saycon (Research Nurse)
- Dr Susan Wang (Clinical Lecturer)
Former group members
- Giulia Maria Ghirardi
- Pedro Martinez De Paz
Summary
Dr Nerviani's research focuses on the molecular and clinical mechanisms of inflammatory arthritis, spanning rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. Her previous work characterised tyrosine kinase receptors (TAM family) in rheumatoid arthritis synovium, identified histological and molecular drivers of non-response to biologic therapies in RA and PsA, and explored new therapeutic targets in PsA. She is currently working on seronegative rheumatoid arthritis and leads the Early Inflammatory Arthritis Service at Mile End Hospital. In psoriatic arthritis, her research focuses on understanding mechanisms of non-response to treatment, with particular attention to metabolic aspects. She has been a Sub-investigator on major biopsy-driven RA trials (R4RA, STRAP) and leads an NIHR MSK TRC pump-priming award in collaboration with Oxford and Glasgow,
Publications
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Congia M, Marini S, Nerviani A et al. (publicationYear). Ultrasound-Guided Synovial Biopsy Can Be Effectively and Safely Performed in Different Clinical Settings Favouring a Widespread Application of Precision Medicine in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Post-hoc Analysis of Three Clinical Trials. nameOfConference
DOI: 10.3390/jcm15062233
QMRO: qmroHref -
Boutet M-A, Mattiola I, Silva-Gomes R et al. (2025). Synovial MS4A4A correlates with inflammation and counteracts response to corticosteroids in arthritis. nameOfConference
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De Lima J, Boutet M-A, Bortolotti O et al. (2025). Spatial mapping of rheumatoid arthritis synovial niches reveals a LYVE1+ macrophage network associated with response to therapy. nameOfConference
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Rivellese F, Pontarini E, Fossati‐Jimack L et al. (2025). Comparative Analysis of Circulating and Synovial Immune Cells in Early Untreated Rheumatoid Arthritis and Their Relationship With Molecular Pathology and Disease Outcomes. nameOfConference
DOI: 10.1002/art.43194
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Lewis MJ, Çubuk C, Surace AEA et al. (publicationYear). Deep molecular profiling of synovial biopsies in the STRAP trial identifies signatures predictive of treatment response to biologic therapies in rheumatoid arthritis. nameOfConference
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Martínez-Paz P, Nerviani A, Cubuk C et al. (2025). POS0070 SPECIFIC SYNOVIAL TISSUE MACROPHAGE CLUSTER SUBTYPES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH MULTI-BIOLOGIC REFRACTORINESS IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. nameOfConference
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Donado CA, Theisen E, Zhang F et al. (2025). Granzyme K activates the entire complement cascade. nameOfConference
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Faust HJ, Cheng T-Y, Korsunsky I et al. (publicationYear). Adipocyte associated glucocorticoid signaling regulates normal fibroblast function which is lost in inflammatory arthritis. nameOfConference
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Thomas BL, Montero‐Melendez T, Oggero S et al. (2024). Molecular Determinants of Neutrophil Extracellular Vesicles That Drive Cartilage Regeneration in Inflammatory Arthritis. nameOfConference
DOI: 10.1002/art.42958
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Law C, Wacleche VS, Cao Y et al. (2024). Publisher Correction: Interferon subverts an AHR–JUN axis to promote CXCL13+ T cells in lupus. nameOfConference
Sponsors
- Arthritis UK - Clinical lectureship (2019-2023)
- NIHR Translational Research Collaborations (TRCs)
Collaborators
Internal
- Prof Costantino Pitzalis (Head of Department)
- Prof Michele Bombardieri
- Dr Felice Rivellese
- Prof Myles Lewis
- Dr Dianne Cooper
External
- Dr Marie-Astrid Boutet (University of Nantes, France)
- Prof Mattia Bellan (University of Eastern Piedmont, Italy)
- Prof Laura Coates (University of Oxford)
- Prof Stefan Siebert (University of Glasgow)
- STRAP and R4RA Investigators
News
- "Creating without constraint: Arthritis and art" at QMUL's Tate Exchange - QMUL/WHRI, June 2019. Supported the EMR team's public engagement workshop exploring the impact of arthritis through art, delivering ultrasound demonstrations to visitors.
- "Rheumatoid Arthritis Inside Out: A Journey into the Joint and Back" - Webinar for patients and members of the public.
- NIHR Barts BRC Patients & Public Involvement Day - NIHR Barts BRC. As Co-Chair of the BRC MSK PPIE Committee, led the organisation of and attended the first Patients and Family Day in 2024, now an annual event.
- NIHR Barts BRC Celebrates Its Second Musculoskeletal Research Day - NIHR Barts BRC. As Co-Chair of the BRC MSK PPIE Committee, contributed to the organisation of and attended the second Patients and Family Day in 2025.
- Understanding Arthritis and Mental Health: Community Event at Mile End Hospital - NIHR Barts BRC. As Co-Chair of the BRC MSK PPIE Committee, the organisation of a community event at Mile End Hospital titled “Understanding Arthritis and Mental Health.”
Teaching
Dr Nerviani is Module Lead for "Foundation of Clinical Rheumatology" within the MSc in MSK Precision Medicine Sciences. She delivers lectures, tutorials, and bedside teaching to BSc Pharmacology and medical students, supervises PhD students and mentors clinical research fellows, and is a trained PBL facilitator and OSCE examiner. She is also an Educational Supervisor for rheumatology trainees.
Disclosures
None.