On the 21st and 22nd of February, a second review meeting took place for the FLAMIN-GO project, a European research initiative targeting a breakthrough in treating Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). This 36-month milestone meeting, hosted by the i3S Institute in Porto, Portugal, brought together project partners to share progress, tackle challenges, and set the course for future advancements.
Flamingo project logo
FLAMIN-GO project started in 2021 with a focus on developing a personalised treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis, which affects millions worldwide, causing joint pain and potentially leading to severe disability. Despite existing treatments, many patients struggle with ineffective medications and unpleasant side effects.
The FLAMIN-GO project aims to change this by developing innovative personalized synovia-on-chip (SoC) technology designed to mimic the conditions of an arthritic joint. The chip is created using cells from a patient's joint, forming a miniature version of their joint on a chip. This allows researchers to test how different drugs work for individual patients, moving towards personalized medicine that can significantly improve treatment outcomes and reduce side effects.
Queen Mary University of London. Queen Mary University of London is one of several international partners involved in the project. Dr Liliane Fossati-Jimack from the Centre for Experimental Medicine and Rheumatology at Queen Mary said: “It’s really innovative because we are mimicking the joint in all its complexity, which very few people are trying to do”. The key to consistent results is 3D bioprinting, using advanced materials and techniques to ensure cell survival and function akin to the human body. This is vital for accurately simulating the arthritic joint environment, advancing personalized medicine. The chip enables drug efficacy testing for individual patients, aiming to enhance treatment outcomes and minimize side effects in personalized medicine.
Every patient is unique, and 40 per cent may not respond to any standard treatment. As patients navigate through various treatments, their joint health and quality of life inevitably deteriorate, often resulting in disability and an inability to fully engage in life's activities.
The goal of the project is to revolutionize this process by utilizing a piece of joint tissue to assess its response to different medications before starting the treatment. Dr Fossati-Jimack added: “I’m hoping that with all the different studies, we’ll be able in a relatively short period of time to tell the patient which treatment will be beneficial. And hopefully, with that, we can stop the disease at an early stage and maybe get them in remission.”
The study recruits patients from the Pathobiology of early (PEAC) and established (PEsAC) Arthritis Cohort, which is a clinical trial supported by the NIHR Barts Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).