Studies Seek Better RA Screening

About 7% to 10% of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients develop clinical idiopathic lung disease (RA-ILD), while up to three times as many display evidence of asymptomatic RA-ILD. But clinicians don’t know how or when to screen patients for RA-ILD or other progressive conditions associated with RA.

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Investigators at Cedars-Sinai’s Kao Autoimmunity Institute are leveraging multiple modes of study to expand their understanding of disease mechanisms, risk assessment and screening strategies for RA patients.

In a longitudinal cohort study, the institute’s investigators are collecting samples, clinical data and questionnaires to inform a comprehensive approach to RA screening. Additionally, in highly collaborative research across Cedars-Sinai, researchers are leveraging a trove of lung tissue from RA-ILD biopsies and patients who received transplants. One project, led by Amara Seng, MD, PhD, examines the role of T-cells and a disease-related protein modification in causing RA-ILD.

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“The amount we don’t understand is staggering,” said Jon Giles, MD, director of the Inflammatory Arthritis Clinical Center. “We don’t know what makes the disease go from relatively innocuous to a severe state requiring a lung transplant, so we are building the ideal pipeline to improve the evidence.”