Non-radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis (Nr-axSpA)

The most clinically meaningful way to discover new targets of T cells in autoimmune diseases is to study the tissues of patients with active autoimmune disease mediated organ inflammation. These tissues contain both cytotoxic and helper T cells that are driving their disease, and these T cells are being guided by TCRs that recognize tissue-specific targets. By collecting tissue when a patient has active inflammation, it is possible to determine which T cells are activated and undergoing clonal expansion in the patient's diseased organ. TScan has developed a genome-wide, high-throughput technology to determine the natural, physiological target of any TCR (Kula, 2019). The goal of this study is to isolate T cells from inflamed tissues and matched blood samples and/or matched normal tissues (for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases). T cell clones that are expanded in diseased tissues relative to blood or normal tissues will be selected and the targets of their TCRs will be defined using TScan's genome-wide, high-throughput target ID technology. The goal of this study is to discover a collection of peptide targets, along with their associated TCRs to be developed as new tolerogenic therapies for patients with autoimmune diseases.

The Chinese Spondyloarthritis Inception cohort (CESPIC) was started 2000 as a prospective, longitudinal, multicentre, nationwide study in China on patients with early SpA including ankylosing spondylitis (AS, also known as radiographic axial spondyloarthritis) and non-radiographic axial SpA. The objectives of CESPIC are to learn about the course of SpA during the very early stage of the disease, to appropriately assess the outcome including radiographic progression of patients after several years of follow-up, to identify outcome predictors, to assess quality of life, function, and costs (direct and indirect costs). CESPIC has been recently expanded to recruit patients with other forms of SpA / conditions associated with SpA: reactive arthritis, acute anterior uveitis, Crohn's disease as well as with psoriasis / axial psoriatic arthritis.

The German Spondyloarthritis Inception cohort (GESPIC) was started 2000 as a prospective, longitudinal, multicentre, nationwide study in Germany on patients with early SpA including ankylosing spondylitis (AS, also known as radiographic axial spondyloarthritis) and non-radiographic axial SpA. The objectives of GESPIC are to learn about the course of SpA during the very early stage of the disease, to appropriately assess the outcome including radiographic progression of patients after several years of follow-up, to identify outcome predictors, to assess quality of life, function, and costs (direct and indirect costs). GESPIC has been recently expanded to recruit patients with other forms of SpA / conditions associated with SpA: acute anterior uveitis, Crohn's disease as well as with psoriasis / axial psoriatic arthritis.