title: Synovial macrophages as a biomarker of response to therapeutic intervention in rheumatoid arthritis: standardization and consistency across centers.
abstract: Successive studies from one academic center (Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) have consistently suggested that synovial tissue expression of sublining macrophages may be a biomarker of clinical response to therapeutic intervention in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) clinical trials. A proof-of-concept, randomized clinical trial was completed at a second academic center (St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland), and the relationship between the change in disease activity and the change in sublining macrophages in distinct treatment cohorts was determined. The preliminary findings were not conclusive, but appeared to support a role for sublining CD68+ macrophages as a biomarker of clinical response to therapeutic intervention in cohorts of patients with RA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, St. Vincent's University Hospital, and The Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland. B.Bresnihan@svcpc.ie
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bresnihan
authors.forename: Danielle M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Gerlag
authors.forename: Terence
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rooney
authors.forename: Tom J M
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Smeets
authors.forename: Carla A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Wijbrandts
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Boyle
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.forename: Bruce W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Kirkham
authors.forename: Iain B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: McInnes
authors.forename: Malcolm
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Ann-Kristin
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Ulfgren
authors.forename: Douglas J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Veale
authors.forename: Paul P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Tak
mesh_terms: D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic / Q000032:analysis; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000628:therapy*; D015415:Biomarkers; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D000097382:CD68 Molecule
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic; D015415:Biomarkers; C067980:CD68 antigen, human; D000097382:CD68 Molecule