Precision medicine in rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes significant morbidity. Application of cellular profiling techniques such as single-cell transcriptomics and spatial transcriptomics has uncovered novel pathogenic cell types in RA joint tissues and revealed marked heterogeneity in the cellular composition among RA patients. Together, these insights provide exciting opportunities to translate discoveries into precision medicine in RA. The present review aims to highlight novel insights into RA pathology and discuss key steps needed to translate these discoveries into actionable changes in clinical practice. We review the efforts to identify surrogate biomarkers that could be used to predict RA synovial tissue phenotypes and the corresponding responses to therapy. Finally, we discuss the opportunity to develop novel patient-derived organoid systems as a platform for therapeutic target validation. (c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Cellular profiling techniques have revealed novel pathogenic cell types and cellular heterogeneity in rheumatoid arthritis, offering opportunities for precision medicine. Efforts to identify predictive biomarkers and develop patient-derived organoid systems are crucial for translating discoveries into clinical practice.