News

So far we have accomplished:

- Use of the many longitudinal cohorts of RA to describe a new pattern of risk factors for
RA, which demonstrates the heterogenecity of the disease, and the potentials for more differentiated and early treatment

- Establishment of a very active collaboration of new techniques for treating arthritis with gene therapy, where both academic groups and one of our SME:s (Arthrogen) are involved.

- Establishment of a new pan-European system for long term surveillance of myositis using a new web-based and generic database system (based on the Danish DanBio programs). This system will provide a totally new opportunity to learn more about etiology for myositis via the genetic studies under way, and also pave the way for controlled clinical studies in this rare (orphan) disease.

- Our bioethics program has produced very useful information and arguments for use of broad consent strategies in our ethical applications and patient information sheets. This will be of strategic importance for many of our studies,not least those that involve genetics.

What remains to be achieved includes:

- A better European system for data sharing in arthritis where data can be captured in different existing or novel systems, and thereafter shared democratically between the partners which capture the data. The building of such systems has already begun at several places. Data sharing systems enable the most efficient use of our clinical databases and biobanks and gives us fantastic new opportunities to study etiology and individualised
therapies.

- A better coordination of the biobanks and the generated data (genetic,biomarkers etc)

- Better integration between the animal work on genetic and genetically determined pathways
to disease, and studies on whether similar pathways are used in humans. Such work should
provide us with better predictive models of arthritis.

And, finally: In my eyes, we have one of the greatest challenges just in front of us, i.e. the possibility to understand how innate and adaptive immunity, genes and environment interact in shaping the specific immune reactions that can cause RA. Such knowledge may indeed allow us both to make even more early diagnosis of arthritis (see also other interviews in this issue) and to develop even more specific immunotherapies. All this will be so much more efficiently done than before using our consortium and our options for interactions and exchange. I want to encourage you all to use the potentials that AutoCure provide to spend days, weeks or months in other AutoCure units, gaining new knowledge as well as new friends.

/Lars Klareskog

Coordinator