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Sensing of cytosolic DNA by cyclic GMP–AMP synthase (cGAS) is central to the pathogenesis of a number of autoinflammatory syndromes and possibly some autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Activation of cGAS signalling requires its deacetylation, so might aspirin have therapeutic potential to treat SLE by acetylating cGAS?
The molecular mechanisms responsible for initiation and progression of osteoarthritis (OA) are incompletely understood. New data implicate cholesterol, its metabolites and the receptor RORα as catabolic drivers of OA-like disease in mice, but do these data identify new targets for treating patients with OA?
Biologic DMARDs are a cornerstone treatment for severe axial spondyloarthritis. Although indications for treatment initiation are well codified, the timing and modalities for tapering remain unclear, despite medical and economic concerns. Encouraging data about treatment tapering are emerging that might guide future management strategies.
New disease activity measures are needed for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Is the new SLE-DAS better than existing measures or are other instruments, or combined scoring methods, required to manage the spectrum of SLE?
New research indicates that tocilizumab limits the beneficial effects of exercise on abdominal fat loss. What does this mean for patients with chronic disease who are being treated with tocilizumab or other inhibitors of IL-6 signalling?
Negative results of yet another IL-1 inhibitor in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis add to a pool of data indicating that this strategy does not reduce pain or inflammation and is thereby a dead end. Should we therefore shelve further plans to test or use this therapeutic strategy?
No drugs are currently approved that change the natural course of osteoarthritis (OA) and translate to long-term, clinically relevant benefits. Two-stage clinical trial designs for OA have now received FDA approval, but remaining challenges lie in defining suitable study populations, surrogate outcomes and pivotal long-term, clinically relevant trial endpoints.
Autoantibodies have been recognized and studied for decades, but evaluation of the cellular and molecular processes underlying autoantibody production has until now been fairly limited. Can the use of cutting-edge technology to isolate autoreactive B cells and characterize their transcriptional activity provide further insight?
The use of assays to detect anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) is helpful in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. But how good are these assays at detecting ACPAs and do we really know what the results are telling us about ACPA specificity?
