Project R-16320

Anti-UH-RA. Antibodies as Predictive Biomarkers for Difficult-to-Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients. (Research)

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic autoimmune disease, progresses to difficult-to-treat RA (D2T RA) in 5–20% of patients, despite the availability of advanced therapies. D2T RA involves persistent disease activity due to failing to respond to at least two biological or targeted disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), following an inadequate response to conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs). Currently, there are no reliable biomarkers that can identify patients at risk for D2T RA before treatment failure occurs. Our group recently identified and validated three novel antibody biomarkers in RA patients who failed to respond to first-line treatment. In this study, we aim to evaluate the biomarker potential of the anti-UH-RA. antibody panel in identifying D2T patients and progression to this phenotype. Baseline and follow-up samples will be analyzed for antibody reactivity and correlated with clinical outcomes such as treatment response, to explore associations with progression to D2T. By identifying at-risk patients earlier, this study could support more personalized and timely treatment approaches. In the long run, our findings could improve care and quality of life for patients with D2T RA.

01 January 2026 - 31 December 2026