PRedicting Onset, Variation and Effect of treatment in Rheumatoid Arthritis (PROVE-RA)

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common, autoimmune disease affecting synovial joints that may result in cartilage damage, joint destruction, and disability. Treatments available for patients with RA have improved a lot over the last two decades with the result that many patients will go into remission. However, a significant number of patients may get a poor response, no response or suffer adverse events because it is unclear which medication will work best. In addition, the right time to start treatment of RA is not obvious as recent studies show that some people have autoantibodies in their blood stream months or years before they develop symptoms or signs of arthritis. So, it is impossible to predict who will develop RA, at what stage the arthritis will become clinically obvious, who will develop severe progressive RA or what drug they are likely to respond to. Therefore, we need to identify smart-and-safe use of effective drugs.

This project aims to identify the cellular and molecular changes in the immune system that are present before the disease begins to affect the patients joints and their ability to perform activities of daily living. In this project we will further identify 'individuals at-risk’ (IAR) of RA, those with aggressive RA and those with mild RA and establish groups (cohorts) - IAR, RA progressors and RA non-progressors in a stratified methodology. This approach will allow us to identify potential new cellular and molecular markers of disease and possibly new candidate molecules to which treatment can be directed at RA and other autoimmune diseases.

Award Date

01 July 2022

Award Value

€369,186.90

Principal Investigator

Professor Douglas Veale

Host Institution

University College Dublin

Scheme

Investigator Led Projects