Research into Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is the subject of a great deal of research around the world. Currently, the main lines of research are focused on: 

• Studies of the molecular alterations that take place in the joint itself (synovial). To better understand the mechanisms of joint destruction in order to find new drugs and therapeutic targets that act more specifically and effectively.   

• Studies aimed at discovering what happens in the stages prior to the development of arthritis. The study of the mucous membranes (bronchial, periodontal, and even intestinal) where the initial stimulus for the subsequent development of arthritis could be produced is a line of research that is giving interesting results. Studies of the immune response (autoantibodies) present in this stage may also shed light on how the disease starts, and even prevent it occurring.  

• Personalised or precision medicine. Rheumatoid arthritis is a heterogeneous disease and genetic or synovial factors are being studied to explain why some patients do better and respond more favourably to one treatment or another. To achieve this, complex proteomics and transcriptomics techniques are employed.