Subtypes
Just read an interesting article in the LA Times on autoimmune diseases. There was one section where scientists are discussing that they now believe autoimmune diseases have SUBTYPES, which can explain the range of symptoms we may all have for the same condition. Here’s a section:
“ In one study, an international team used tiny samples of patients’ joint tissue to identify six inflammatory subtypes of rheumatoid arthritis based on patterns of cells, how they clustered and their activity.”
Apparently this is now being used to better target treatment.
Has anyone heard of this?
I have to be honest,
, and say that I haven't heard of this. I can always count on your to bring up some cool new information or to ask questions that really get me thinking. I am glad you have your ear to the ground when it comes to RA and autoimmune conditions research.
I find this research fascinating and hopeful. I feel like the more we know about autoimmune diseases, the better!
Thanks for bringing this information to this community.
Best, Erin, Team Member.It “changed how we think about the disease,” said Northwestern University rheumatology chief Harris Perlman, one of the coauthors. Now researchers are comparing cells in joint tissue before and after patients start a new drug to see if they could help guide treatment choices, he said.“
I would post the LA Times link but it’s likely behind a paywall. Most of the article was about Lupus but also included other autoimmune diseases and this section on RA. Def hope for the future!
, I read something similar in an RA email newsletter. It might be a Health Central newsletter that I subscribe to.
The article mentioned that identifying fibro blasts in tissue, rather than relying on blood tests, could be a much more efficient way of targeting treatment, like you mentioned. It will also help indicate who will respond and sadly those that are not likely to have a good response. I have been hard to treat. So maybe there is hope on the horizon., thanks for the info! I bet the article is behind a paywall, but between what you shared and what shared, I should be able to track down the research results.
Thanks so much and here's hoping for some big breakthroughs on the horizon!
Best, Erin, Team Member.
Hi
. Believe it or not, this research has been building for quite some time (I guess this is not so unbelievable when one considers how difficult it is figuring out some of these autoimmune disease intricacies). Our contributor Wren wrote about some of the research finding unique genetic markers in the joints back in 2016: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/study-shows-different-affected-joints-have-unique-genetic-markers. Here is a short piece and a video from last year on finding six subtypes through the synovial tissues: https://breakthroughsforphysicians.nm.org/rheumatology-research-article-deconstruction-rheumatoid-arthritis-synovium.html.
Several years ago the the name for juvenile RA was changed to juvenile idiopathic arthritis as the small differences just continued to pile up to the point that it had to be acknowledged that it is not quite the same condition (research has also found that it tends to respond to specific types of treatment, such as IL-6 and IL-1 inhibitors). This current research feels like the next step in acknowledging that there it is not just the juvenile type that is different, but rather that there are multiple variations in general. This really does present a great opportunity to build on personalized treatment. Thanks for sharing and adding to the conversation. Best, Richard (Team Member)What I would like to know is if anyone has a rheumatologist who is actually DOING this. Or, where to have this done.
Hi
. Ahh, now you have hit the rub - the gap between when we first hear about new research and when it actually becomes available to patients. With this particular research, there is still work to be done to find out which treatments work for which subtype. That said, this is a huge step forward. So far, the only test that seems publicly available is the PrismRA test for anti-TNF effectiveness (see: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/forums/personalized-medicine-testing-what-drug-will-work-for-you). I don't know just how this was developed, as it predates this new subtype research. Best, Richard (Team Member)
