Status: Closed to recruitment.
This study's focus was to explore the relationship between synovial and skin histological, molecular, and gene profiles, and the evolution of clinical disease characteristics, in patients with psoriatic arthritis who have failed standard non-biologic therapy and are eligible for biologic treatment. We hypothesised that specific biomarkers exist which predict or correlate to the course of an individual’s disease. This study primarily aimed to determine if levels of IL-23 in psoriatic synovium or skin correlate with clinical disease activity. Other cellular and molecular biomarkers were also explored as secondary objectives. We aim to identify one or a panel of biomarkers that can facilitate patient stratification for disease severity and likely response to treatment. This study recruited patients at Barts and the results of the study can be found here.
Biological samples (tissue & fluids) were collected at four time-points over a 48-week follow-up period and are linked to stringent clinical outcome measures. Recruitment status for this study is 29 patients, with 29 baselines and 15 follow-up synovial tissue biopsies collected, along with paired skin biopsies for 18 patients (18 baseline and 11 follow-up skin biopsies). Blood samples have been collected for 83 time-points and include whole-blood (RNA), serum, plasma, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and buffy coat (DNA).
Supported by NIHR Barts Biomedical Research Centre