Open Rheumatol J. 2011;5:133-7. doi: 10.2174/1874312901105010133. Epub 2011 Dec 30.
The open rheumatology journal
Veronica Codullo, Iain B McInnes
PMID: 22279513 PMCID: PMC3263446 DOI: 10.2174/1874312901105010133
Following its validation and wide application in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), synovial tissue analysis has recently been applied to studies on Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA). Such studies aim to thereby clarify its distinctive features and the nature of specific responses upon administration of disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) or biologic agents. In consequence, insights to disease pathogenesis, drugs' mechanisms of action (MOA) and biomarkers of response have emerged. Data from pilot and open-label studies, and recently from randomized controlled trials, have helped in refining the therapeutic approaches to PsA patients, by improving understanding of MOA and in provision of biomarkers of response. The availability of less invasive and reproducible analysis techniques to obtain and evaluate synovial biopsies will further enhance the utility of this approach in due course.
Keywords: Biologic therapy; biomarker; psoriatic arthritis; synovial tissue,