Dr. Sibel Aydin is harnessing big data to determine if people with rheumatoid arthritis are more or less likely to get severely ill with COVID-19. Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are exploring more than 50 research projects to support the world-wide effort to find better ways to treat and prevent COVID-19. 

The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund is providing seed funding for a number of these projects, including a study led by Dr. Sibel Aydin that focuses on rheumatoid arthritis and COVID-19.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease that primarily affects the joints. Dr. Aydin is harnessing big data from ICES and the Ontario Best Practice Research Initiative to determine if people with rheumatoid arthritis are more or less likely to get severely ill with COVID-19. Her team is also looking at the impact of immune-suppressing drugs that are commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

This research could improve our global understanding of COVID-19 and lead to better treatments for people with both COVID-19 and rheumatoid arthritis.

Research team at The Ottawa Hospital/uOttawa: Sibel Aydin, Elliot Hepworth

External collaborators: Claire Bombardier, Mohammad Movahedi, Angela Cesta

Core resources: ICES uOttawa

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.   

Media Contact 
Amelia Buchanan
Senior Communication Specialist
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
613-297-8315
ambuchanan@ohri.ca