Predictability Studies on the Efficacy of TNF-α Inhibitors in Chinese RA From "Real World"

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic and disabling disease. TNF-α inhibitors have demonstrated an outstanding performance in relieving joint inflammation and retarding bone erosion involved in RA. However, there is still about one-thirds of RA patients had a poor response to TNF α inhibitors. Currently the personalized biological treatment is the research hotspot. Recent studies focuses on exploring biomarkers predictive of drug response. The research methods such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and immunocytology, have been applied,but they are not successfully integrated. The related studies in China are still at an initial stage, which necessitates an in-depth study in this area. The investigators' preliminary study showed that TNF-α-308 gene polymorphisms existed in Chinese RA patients and phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt signal pathway was activated in proliferated synovial fibroblasts stimulated by TNF-α. Therefore, for the first attempt in China, the investigators intend to screen for differential proteins by using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation(iTRAQ) technique in RA patients receiving anti-TNF-α therapy, and then verify the predictive effects of selected differential proteins from the upstream gene polymorphism to the downstream protein expression. The investigators will also explore the mechanisms of differential proteins involved in TNF-α related signal pathway by using in vitro gene transfer, siRNA interference, and RA animal models. Through this study investigator hope to discover some prediction proteins with a domestic genetic background and finally establish a prediction system with Chinese characteristics.