| Project Detail |
Advancing psoriatic arthritis diagnosis and management
Psoriasis is an autoimmune skin condition associated with the emergence of red, dry, itchy patches mainly on elbows, knees and scalp. Some patients with psoriasis develop a type of inflammatory arthritis known as psoriatic arthritis (PsA), which can cause swelling and stiffness in the joints. However, diagnosis of PsA is difficult, and there is no way to predict which patients will develop the condition or how they will respond to treatment. HIPPOCRATES is a large EU-funded project that brings together research, clinical and industry experts to determine the mechanisms of PsA development and progression. Project findings will fuel future drug discovery efforts for disease management and improved patient outcomes.
Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) is a clinically heterogeneous disease associated with diminished quality of life. Early diagnosis is challenging and prediction of natural history or therapeutic response to treatment is suboptimal: these represent critical, contemporary unmet clinical needs. HIPPOCRATES is a multi-centre consortium, with 26 world-class partners that have clinical, scientific, data analytics, ethics, patient participation and pharmaceutical industry expertise. We will address these needs. Clinical phenotypic data from multiple established, and de novo PsA cohorts combined with a unique library of bio- samples, images, and data derived therefrom, will be curated and catalogued for optimal evaluation and use. HIPPOCRATES will analyse these multi-structured datasets that traverse the disease timeline, from cutaneous psoriasis, early PsA, first therapeutic and first biologic choice. Through machine learning and other AI techniques, we will: (1) Identify molecular signals associated with the development of PsA in patients with psoriasis, so presaging PsA prevention studies; (2) Create a diagnostic algorithm for early PsA diagnosis in patients with cutaneous psoriasis or early undifferentiated inflammatory arthritis; (3) Generate biomarker algorithms, including clinical, imaging and molecular polyomic moieties, to predict disease progression and identify endotypes permitting precision treatment with existing (methotrexate, and TNF or IL-17 inhibitor) treatments and novel therapeutic regimes; (4) Elucidate the molecular basis of PsA to facilitate future drug discovery; (5) Develop diagnostic digital tools for use in clinical settings. With highly aligned academic/clinical, SME and EFPIA partners, including involvement from existing IMI programmes and competitive international associations, HIPPOCRATES will oversee the development of a sustainable infrastructure to support PsA research and improve PsA patient outcomes. |
