Abstract:
Development of hypercellular invasive pannus tissue within synovial joints is a hallmark
of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Pannus produces proteases that damage bone and cartilage. Non-invasive
monitoring of pannus activity is important for clinical assessment of patients as well as for control of
the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. Available biomarkers are not satisfactory in terms of pannus
specificity and sensitivity for monitoring local inflammation and bone erosion. Our goal is collecting
clinical samples of synovial fluid and plasma from patients with RA and/or osteoarthritis (OA) to study
the role of WNT signaling in pannus formation and developing set of serum biomarkers to monitor
pannus activity.
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