Immunophenotype

The evolution of cellular and molecular immunology has made available high-throughput discovery tools which can provide an entirely new, comprehensive and multidimensional picture of the immune system. A combination of different approaches, such as deep phenotyping by mass and flow cytometry, multiplex gene expression and functional assays, have been applied to identify immunological and epigenetic signatures leading to the prediction of responsiveness to anti-TNF therapy in autoimmune arthritis. These signatures are originated at the microenvironmental interface between the immune system and the target organ and can then be found in the periphery. We will present novel data demonstrating this concept in the context of human autoimmune arthritis.