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In this Review, the authors discuss the therapeutic application of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in different autoimmune diseases, describing the immunological mechanisms and the risks and benefits of this procedure.
New guidelines from EULAR and the Paediatric Rheumatology European Society recommend a set of quality standards for the care of young adults with childhood-onset rheumatic diseases during their transfer from paediatric to adult rheumatology care providers. Can the application of these guidelines prevent patients from getting lost in the system?
Ectopic lymphoid structures have been identified in the target organs of a subset of patients with rheumatic autoimmune diseases. This Review describes these structures and summarizes our current understanding of how they form, function and contribute to autoimmunity.
This Review outlines what a rheumatologist needs to know about the development and advances in CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technologies. The authors discuss the direct applications to rheumatic diseases, which are currently limited but are certain to increase rapidly in the near future.
Current osteoarthritis therapies cannot sufficiently target cartilage and guarantee a biological response owing to limitations in the delivery methods. This Perspectives article discusses how electrostatic interactions can be utilized to increase drug penetration and retention in cartilage to provide sustained intra-tissue delivery.
Metabolomics and genomics approaches have produced huge amounts of data from patient samples, creating many research opportunities. In this Review, the authors discuss how these datasets can be brought together to enrich our knowledge of rheumatic diseases.
Transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) is a pleiotropic cytokine that is important in the regulation of joint homeostasis and disease. In this Review, the changing role of TGFβ in normal joint homeostasis, ageing and osteoarthritis is discussed.
Innate lymphoid cells are important players in the innate immune response, and might also contribute to inflammatory diseases. This Review discusses what is known about these cells and how they might be targeted in future therapies for these diseases.
The PRECISION trial demonstrates that celecoxib is noninferior to ibuprofen and naproxen in regard to cardiovascular safety. Do these findings mark the end of the debate on this issue, or do aspects of the trial mean the implications for clinical practice are not clear-cut?
Inhibitors of β-nerve growth factor (NGF) have impressive effects in reducing musculoskeletal pain, but have also been associated with adverse events of unclear aetiology. Several studies in the past year have sought to clarify the relative benefits and risks of anti-NGF treatment.
In 2016, there have been several major scientific achievements related to myositis, including the discovery of a novel autoantibody and the relationship between autoantibodies and distinct clinical phenotypes. Advances in the way clinical trials are conducted have also led to breakthroughs in treatment strategies.
Tendon disorders are common and confer a large socioeconomic burden. This Review discusses the role of inflammatory mechanisms in tendon homeostasis and resolution of tendon damage, which are crucial to consider in developing novel therapeutics for tendinopathies.
Positioned at the crossroads of TNF, IL-1 and Toll-like receptor signalling cascades and cytokine-driven chromatin remodelling, TAK1 is emerging as a new therapeutic target in rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with an expansion of certain gut commensals, although the underlying mechanism remains unknown. In 2016, studies using experimental models of arthritis have begun to unravel the links between the gut microbiota, T follicular helper cells and arthritis.
Gene expression profiling has been used for the first time to stratify patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) into potentially useful clinical groups, and also to further understand differences in the cell-specificity and nature of the interferon signature typical of SLE and other autoimmune diseases.
The treatment of systemic sclerosis (SSc) is complex as multiple organs are frequently involved and treatment is either for overall disease modification or is organ specific. EULAR has updated its treatment recommendations for SSc, reflecting data from some new trials. However, some features of SSc are not included.
Regenerative medicine can be viewed as 'tissue engineering V2.0'. Discoveries and novel applications of technology advanced the field considerably in 2016, with the use of new biomaterials, stem cells and biologically active molecules.
Leptin is involved in regulating bone mass, basal metabolism and insulin secretion, among other processes. This Review explores the role of leptin in the immune system and metabolism, with particular emphasis on its effect on autoimmune and inflammatory rheumatic diseases.
The authors discuss the preclinical evidence that provides insights into the mechanisms, pathways and mediators that set in motion resolution of inflammation. The time is ripe to establish if, and how, this biology can inform therapeutic innovation in the context of chronic inflammatory diseases.
