Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39729885›Full record

ArticleEBioMedicine2025

Ex vivo imaging-based high content phenotyping of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Felix Kartnig, Michael Bonelli, Ulrich Goldmann, Noemi Mészáros, Nikolaus Krall, Daniel Aletaha, Leonhard X Heinz, Giulio Superti-Furga

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in EBioMedicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Felix KartnigCeMM Research Centre for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria; Department of Internal Medicine III, Division of Rheumatology, Medical University Vienna; Vienna, Austria.
Michael BonelliDepartment of Internal Medicine III, Division of Rheumatology, Medical University Vienna; Vienna, Austria.
Ulrich GoldmannCeMM Research Centre for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
Noemi MészárosCeMM Research Centre for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
Nikolaus KrallCeMM Research Centre for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
Daniel AletahaDepartment of Internal Medicine III, Division of Rheumatology, Medical University Vienna; Vienna, Austria.
Leonhard X HeinzDepartment of Internal Medicine III, Division of Rheumatology, Medical University Vienna; Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: leonhard.heinz@meduniwien.ac.at.
Giulio Superti-FurgaCeMM Research Centre for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria; Centre for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna; Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: gsuperti@cemm.oeaw.ac.at.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHigh content imaging-based functional precision medicine approaches have been developed and successfully applied in the field of haemato-oncology. For rheumatoid arthritis (RA), treatment selection is still based on a trial-and-error principle, and biomarkers for patient stratification and drug response prediction are needed.

methodsA high content, high throughput microscopy-based phenotyping pipeline for peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was developed, allowing for the quantification of cell type frequencies, cell type specific morphology and intercellular interactions from patients with RA (n = 65) and healthy controls (HC, n = 33). Samples were exposed to a curated set of RA-specific small molecules, biologicals and reference stimuli for 24 h to assess ex vivo drug effects. Data on ex vivo PBMC phenotypes were integrated with information on patients' in vivo medication and disease activity.

findingsThe unbiased data from in total 6.9e8 individual cells were collected and allowed for the identification of PBMC phenotypes specific to disease activity as well as in vivo and ex vivo treatment. The arrayed ex vivo drug perturbation enabled the systematic characterization of drug effects, clustering by mode of action and uncovered morphologic alterations associated with biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) treatment. Individual in vivo treatment regimens translated into altered immune cell abundances in patients with a comedication of conventional synthetic DMARDs when compared to HCs. Global integration of PBMC characteristics led to clustering of patients according to disease activity and correlation with clinical data.

interpretationThe application of the developed screening tool demonstrates a technical proof-of-concept for feasibility of a functional precision medicine approach to the ex vivo immunophenotypic characterisation of patients with RA.

fundingThis work was supported by the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the Medical University of Vienna and a grant (RMG2235 to L.X.H.) from the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR).

Indexed as

Arthritis, RheumatoidAdultAgedAntirheumatic AgentsBiomarkersFemaleHumansImmunophenotypingLeukocytes, MononuclearMaleMiddle AgedPhenotypePrecision MedicineAntirheumatic AgentsBiomarkersBiomarkerDrug profilingHigh-content microscopyPrecision medicineRheumatoid arthritis

Identifiers

PMID39729885
PMCPMC11732195

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