Janus kinase inhibitors continue to show promise in a diverse range of indications, but administration of these drugs needs careful consideration of the benefits and risks. Among a plethora of publications in 2022, notable studies explored an important new indication and provided insights into safety concerns.

Since the start of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination campaign, our knowledge of the effects of vaccines in people with inflammatory rheumatic diseases has remained incomplete. In particular, the effects of immunomodulatory therapies on vaccine success are poorly understood. Three notable papers from the past year have helped to fill these knowledge gaps.

In 2022, advances in the prediction of the response to treatment in rheumatoid arthritis resulted from gene-expression profiling in synovial biopsy samples, assessment of the expression of interferon-response genes in the blood, and the application of machine learning to patients’ clinical parameters and genetic variance.

A calcium-binding peptide derived from fetuin-A inhibited pathological cartilage calcification in an experimental model of osteoarthritis, suggesting therapeutic potential.

Lipid nanoparticles loaded with type II collagen and rapamycin can induce antigen-specific regulatory T cell responses and alleviate disease in a mouse model of osteoarthritis.

New evidence from animal models and human studies suggests that mammalian target of rapamycin has a role in the pathophysiology of Still’s disease and macrophage activation syndrome.

New research reveals that ferritin has an essential role in neutrophil extracellular trap (NET)-mediated inflammation, and suggests that NETs or the ferritin receptor MSR1 could be targeted for the treatment of adult-onset Still disease.