ABOUT THE STUDIES

What do we hope to accomplish?

To better understand and treat joint inflammation

To find clues in our body that help predict the best treatment for arthritis

To make arthritis treatments more personalized and effective

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) provides funding for this research project to better understand how immune cells promote inflammation and joint damage in Inflammatory Arthritis.

We are using new tools combined with gold standard medicine to better study the cells found in people with Psoriasis, Psoriatic Arthritis, and Rheumatoid Arthritis. We want to learn more about the ways in which different cells are affected by these diseases to help develop better treatments.

We are also looking at how cells react to different medications for Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis. We hope this information will explain why some people get better with treatment while others don't.

ELLIPSS for Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis

What is our goal?

The overall goal is to identify the key immune and resident cells in the skin, joints, peripheral blood and entheses (sites where ligaments and tendons attach to bone, e.g. Achilles tendon) that cause certain signs of psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). We also aim to understand what happens to the cells when someone is responding to treatment or in remission and why some people with PsO might also get PsA.

Who are we recruiting?

The study plans to enroll about 500 people with varying disease symptoms and medication history.

How are we going to meet our goal?

In order to fully understand the disease and how it affects your cells, this study is designed to include multiple "cohorts" of participants. These cohorts will be composed of participants with similar disease symptoms and medication history, allowing more in-depth and "cross-sectional" analysis at the conclusion of the study. The types of cohorts we are including are explained a bit more below.

1. Clinical characteristics of cutaneous PsO and different features of PsA (peripheral arthritis, spinal disease, enthesitis, and dactylitis (diffuse swelling of a digit).

1a. Active PsO

1b. Active PsA (diagnosed < 1 year, have not used biologic or specialized oral treatments)

2. Predictors of targeted treatment response

2a. PsO, pre-targeted treatment

2b. PsA, pre-targeted treatment

3. High-risk PsO (people with PsO who meet certain criteria for high risk of developing PsA)

4. Discarded synovial tissue (control - collected from patients undergoing standard clinical procedures)

5. Discard skin tissue (control - collected from patients undergoing standard clinical procedures)

6. Synovial and skin tissue previously collected

What does your participation include?

Enrollment visit + optional follow-up study visits

Physical exam

Questionnaires that ask about how you feel and the impact of the disease

Blood collection

Ultrasound of some of your joints (optional)

Skin biopsy (optional)

Synovial (lining of a joint) biopsy (optional)

Microbiome collection: saliva, skin, stool (optional)

Study Sites

University of Rochester Medical Center - Rochester, NY

New York University - New York, NY

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, MI

Northwestern University - Chicago, IL

Columbia University - New York, NY

University of California San Diego - San Diego, CA

University of California San Francisco - San Francisco, CA

University of Alabama Birmingham - Birmingham, AL

Hospital for Special Surgery - New York, NY

Active Psoriasis

Active Psoriatic Arthritis (<1 year)

Psoriasis or Psoriatic Arthritis

starting new treatment

Psoriasis

at high risk of developing

Psoriatic Arthritis

AIM for RA

What is our goal?

The overarching goal is to define how differences in cells and the cells' communication mechanisms affect the trajectory of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in individuals - how the disease starts, how it progresses, and how people respond to treatment differently. We hope this information will help guide development of targets for new drugs, and better aid physicians and patients in understanding the individual's disease symptoms and progression.

Who are we recruiting?

The study plans to enroll approximately 500 participants with varying disease and medication history.

How are we going to meet our goal?

1. Early RA, DMARD naive (diagnosed < 1 year, have not used biologic or specialized oral treatments))

2. MTX-IR, bDMARD naive (moderate to severe RA while taking methotrexate)

3. Quality control tissue (refractory disease, did not respond to 2 biologics + MTX)

4. Discarded synovial tissue (control - collected from patients undergoing standard clinical procedures)

5. Synovial tissue previously collected

What does your participation include?

Enrollment visit + 2-3 follow-up study visits over the course of 6-9 months

Physical exam

Questionnaires that ask about how you feel and the impact of the disease

Blood collection

Ultrasound of some of your joints (optional)

Skin biopsy (optional)

Synovial (lining of a joint) biopsy (optional)

Microbiome collection: saliva, stool (optional)

Study Sites

University of Rochester Medical Center - Rochester, NY

New York University - New York, NY

Hospital for Special Surgery - New York, NY

University of Colorado - Aurora, CO

Columbia University - New York, NY

Brigham and Women's Hospital - Boston, MA

University of Alabama Birmingham - Birmingham, AL

University of California San Diego - San Diego, CA

Active Rheumatoid Arthritis

(< 1 year)

Moderate to Severe RA

taking methotrexate

We're looking for people who...

Have been diagnosed with one of these diseases:

Psoriasis

Psoriatic Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Are willing and able to come for at least one visit at a study center.

Are willing to undergo exams and imaging and provide samples to help us understand Inflammatory Arthritis and how your cells are affected by this disease.

Please contact us if you are interested but unsure about your eligibility!

Want to join the AMP AIM study?

Someone on our study team will contact you soon with more details!