anti-TNF Treatment Response Research Articles

Increase in circulating Th17 cells during anti-TNF therapy is associated with ultrasonographic improvement of synovitis in rheumatoid arthritis.

BackgroundAnti-TNF agents have revolutionised rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment; however, a third of patients fail to achieve therapeutic responses. Unexpectedly, studies in murine and human arthritis have indicated that anti-TNF treatment can increase circulating T helper 17 (Th17) cells, but the relationship to treatment response is unclear. To identify immune correlates of anti-TNF treatment response, we conducted a longitudinal study using clinical, ultrasound and T cell assessments.MethodsPatients with RA (n = 25) were studied at protocol visits during the initial 12 weeks of anti-TNF treatment. Improvement in the disease activity score of 28 joints (DAS28) >1.2 defined treatment responders (n = 16) and non-responders (n = 9). Changes in synovial thickening and vascularity of 10 metacarpophalangeal joints were quantitatively assessed by grey scale and power Doppler ultrasound. The frequency of circulating Th17 cells was determined by IL17 enzyme-linked immunospot assay (Elispot) and flow cytometry (fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS)).ResultsThe frequency of circulating IL17-producing cells increased significantly 12 weeks after anti-TNF initiation (Elispot median (range) specific spot forming cells (spSFC)/106 360 (280–645) vs 632 (367 − 1167), p = 0.003). The increase in CD4 + IL17+ cells at 12 weeks was confirmed by FACS (median (range) %, 0.7 (0.5–0.9) vs 1.05 (0.6–1.3); p = 0.01). The increase in circulating Th17 cells inversely correlated with reduction in synovial vascularity (r = -0.68, p = 0.007) and thickening (r = -0.39; p = 0.04). Higher frequencies of circulating Th17 cells at baseline were associated with poorer anti-TNF treatment response defined by ultrasonographic measures.ConclusionsThese results demonstrate a link between changes in circulating Th17 cells with resolution of ultrasonographic features of synovial inflammation and vascularity during anti-TNF treatment. The findings may reflect redistribution of Th17 cells from inflamed joints or TNF-driven regulation of Th17 cell production.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01060098. Registered 29 January 2010.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13075-016-1197-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Erratum: Crowdsourced assessment of common genetic contribution to predicting anti-TNF treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis.

Nature Communications 7: Article number: 12460 (2016); Published: 23 August 2016; Updated: 10 October 2016. The HTML version of this Article incorrectly duplicated the authors S. Louis Bridges, Lindsey Criswell, Larry Moreland, Lars Klareskog, Saedis Saevarsdottir, Leonid Padyukov, Peter K. Gregersen, Stephen Friend, Robert Plenge, Gustavo Stolovitzky, Baldo Oliva, Yuanfang Guan and Lara M.

Confirmation of an IRAK3 polymorphism as a genetic marker predicting response to anti-TNF treatment in rheumatoid arthritis

Several genetic variants in Toll-like receptor (TLR) and nuclear factor (NF)-κB signalling pathways have been reported associated with responsiveness to tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (anti-TNF) treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The present study was undertaken to replicate these findings. In a retrospective case-case study including 1007 Danish anti-TNF-treated RA patients, we genotyped 7 previously reported associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in these pathways. Furthermore, 5 SNPs previously reported by our group were genotyped in a subcohort (N=469). Primary analyses validated the IRAK3 rs11541076 variant as associated (odds ratio (OR)=1.33, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.00-1.77, P-value=0.047) with a positive treatment response (EULAR (European League Against Rheumatism) good/moderate vs none response at 4±2 months), and found the NLRP3 rs461266 variant associated (OR=0.75, 95% CI: 0.60-0.94, P=0.014) with a negative treatment response. Meta-analyses combining data from previous studies suggested smaller effect sizes of associations between variant alleles of CHUK rs11591741, NFKBIB rs3136645 and rs9403 and a negative treatment response. In conclusion, this study validates rs11541076 in IRAK3, a negative regulator of TLR signalling, as a predictor of anti-TNF treatment response, and suggests true positive associations of previously reported SNPs within genes encoding activators/inhibitors of NF-κB (CHUK, MYD88, NFKBIB, and NLRP3).

Unsupervised, Transcriptomics-Based Clustering of Ulcerative Colitis Patients Reveals Marked Heterogeneity That Relates to Anti-TNF Treatment Response

Unsupervised, Transcriptomics-Based Clustering of Ulcerative Colitis Patients Reveals Marked Heterogeneity That Relates to Anti-TNF Treatment Response

Crowdsourced assessment of common genetic contribution to predicting anti-TNF treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects millions world-wide. While anti-TNF treatment is widely used to reduce disease progression, treatment fails in ∼one-third of patients. No biomarker currently exists that identifies non-responders before treatment. A rigorous community-based assessment of the utility of SNP data for predicting anti-TNF treatment efficacy in RA patients was performed in the context of a DREAM Challenge (http://www.synapse.org/RA_Challenge). An open challenge framework enabled the comparative evaluation of predictions developed by 73 research groups using the most comprehensive available data and covering a wide range of state-of-the-art modelling methodologies. Despite a significant genetic heritability estimate of treatment non-response trait (h2=0.18, P value=0.02), no significant genetic contribution to prediction accuracy is observed. Results formally confirm the expectations of the rheumatology community that SNP information does not significantly improve predictive performance relative to standard clinical traits, thereby justifying a refocusing of future efforts on collection of other data.

Systematic review: genetic biomarkers associated with anti-TNF treatment response in inflammatory bowel diseases.

SummaryBackgroundPersonalised medicine, including biomarkers for treatment selection, may provide new algorithms for more effective treatment of patients. Genetic variation may impact drug response and genetic markers could help selecting the best treatment strategy for the individual patient.AimTo identify polymorphisms and candidate genes from the literature that are associated with anti‐tumour necrosis factor (TNF) treatment response in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis.MethodsWe performed a PubMed literature search and retrieved studies reporting original data on association between polymorphisms and anti‐TNF treatment response and conducted a meta‐analysis.ResultsA functional polymorphism in FCGR3A was significantly associated with anti‐TNF treatment response among CD patients using biological response criterion (decrease in C‐reactive protein, levels). Meta‐analyses showed that polymorphisms in TLR2 (rs3804099, OR (95% CI) = 2.17 (1.35–3.47)], rs11938228 [OR = 0.64 (0.43–0.96)], TLR4 (rs5030728) [OR = 3.18 (1.63–6.21)], TLR9 (rs352139) [OR = 0.43 (0.21–0.88)], TNFRSF1A (rs4149570) [OR = 2.06 (1.02–4.17)], IFNG (rs2430561) [OR = 1.66 (1.05–2.63)], IL6 (rs10499563) [OR = 1.65 (1.04–2.63)] and IL1B (rs4848306) [OR = 1.88 (1.05–3.35)] were significantly associated with response among IBD patients using clinical response criteria. A positive predictive value of 0.96 was achieved by combining five genetic markers in an explorative analysis.ConclusionsThere are no genetic markers currently available which are adequately predictive of anti‐TNF response for use in the clinic. Genetic markers bear the advantage that they do not change over time. Therefore, hypothesis‐free approaches, testing a large number of polymorphisms in large, well‐characterised cohorts, are required in order to identify genetic profiles with larger effect sizes, which could be employed as biomarkers for treatment selection in clinical settings.

Genetic Variations in Pattern Recognition Receptor Loci Are Associated with Anti-TNF Response in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

ObjectivesTo determine whether genetic variation within genes related to the Toll-like receptor, inflammasome and interferon-γ pathways contributes to the differences in treatment response to tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (anti-TNF) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).MethodsIn a retrospective case-case study, we assessed 23 functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 15 genes. We included 538 anti-TNF naïve Danish RA patients from the nationwide DANBIO database. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to detect associations (p-value<0.05) between genotypes and European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) treatment responses. False Discovery Rate corrections for multiple testing (q-value) and stratified analyses were performed to investigate association with individual therapies and IgM-rheumatoid factor (RF) status.ResultsSix of twenty successfully genotyped polymorphisms were nominally associated with EULAR treatment response. Three of these were in weak to moderate linkage disequilibrium with polymorphisms previously reported associated with anti-TNF treatment response. TLR5(rs5744174) variant allele carriers (odds ratio(OR) = 1.7(1.1–2.5),p = 0.010,q = 0.46) and TLR1(rs4833095) homozygous variant carriers (OR = 2.8(1.1–7.4),p = 0.037,q = 0.46) had higher odds for a positive treatment response. NLRP3(rs10754558) variant allele carriers (odds ratio(OR) = 0.6(0.4–1.0),p = 0.045,q = 0.46) were more likely to have a negative treatment response.The association in TLR5(rs5744174) remained significant after correction for multiple comparisons among patients negative for RF (OR = 6.2(2.4–16.3),p = 0.0002,q = 0.024). No other association withstood correction for multiple testing. Post hoc analyses showed that change in Patient Global score on a visual analogue scale (VAS) and change in pain VAS were the main factors responsible for the association.ConclusionsWe reproduced previously reported associations between genetic variation in the TLR10/1/6 gene cluster, TLR5, and NLRP3 loci and response to anti-TNF treatment in RA. Changes in VAS pain and patient global scores were the main contributors to the association found for TLR5. Furthermore, we identified other candidate genes that require replication in independent cohorts.

Genetic and genomic markers of anti-TNF treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis.

Despite the success of anti-TNF drugs in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, a significant rate of nonresponse remains. Current clinical factors confer little power for predicting response and, in current practice, an unsatisfactory 'trial and error' approach governs therapeutic decisions. Candidate gene and unbiased genome-wide investigations have sought to identify genetic biomarkers that predict who will respond to anti-TNF drugs before the drug is administered. To date, few studies have yielded robust associations; herein, we discuss currently identified associations and the issues that need to be addressed in future investigations including insufficient power and an inadequate measure of disease activity. The potential for alternative predictors of anti-TNF therapy response from transcriptomic and epigenetic data will also be explored.

TRAF1/C5 but not PTPRC variants are potential predictors of rheumatoid arthritis response to anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy.

Background. The aim of our work was to replicate, in a Southern European population, the association reported in Northern populations between PTPRC locus and response to anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We also looked at associations between five RA risk alleles and treatment response. Methods. We evaluated associations between anti-TNF treatment responses assessed by DAS28 change and by EULAR response at six months in 383 Portuguese patients. Univariate and multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses were performed. In a second step to confirm our findings, we pooled our population with 265 Spanish patients. Results. No association was found between PTPRC rs10919563 allele and anti-TNF treatment response, neither in Portuguese modeling for several clinical variables nor in the overall population combining Portuguese and Spanish patients. The minor allele for RA susceptibility, rs3761847 SNP in TRAF1/C5 region, was associated with a poor response in linear and logistic univariate and multivariate regression analyses. No association was observed with the other allellic variants. Results were confirmed in the pooled analysis. Conclusion. This study did not replicate the association between PTPRC and the response to anti-TNF treatment in our Southern European population. We found that TRAF1/C5 risk RA variants potentially influence anti-TNF treatment response.

Anti-TNF treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis patients is associated with genetic variation in the NLRP3-inflammasome.

ObjectiveMany patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) benefit from tumor necrosis factor-α blocking treatment (anti-TNF), but about one third do not respond. The objective of this study was to replicate and extend previously found associations between anti-TNF treatment response and genetic variation in the TNF-, NF-κB- and pattern recognition receptor signalling pathways.MethodsForty-one single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including 34 functional, in 28 genes involved in inflammatory pathways were assessed in 538 anti-TNF naive Danish RA patients with clinical data. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to test associations between genotypes and treatment response at 3–6 months using the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) response criterion. American College of Rheumatology treatment response (ACR50) and relative change in 28-joint disease activity score (relDAS28) were used as secondary outcomes. Subgroup analyses were stratified according to smoking status, type of anti-TNF drug and IgM-Rheumatoid Factor (IgM-RF) status. False discovery rate (FDR) controlling was used to adjust for multiple testing.ResultsStatistically significant associations with EULAR response were found for two SNPs in NLRP3(rs4612666) (OR (odds ratio) for good/moderate response = 0.64 (95% confidence interval: 0.44–0.95), p = 0.025, q = 0.95) and INFG(rs2430561) (OR = 0.40 (0.21–0.76), p = 0.005, q = 0.18) and among IgM-RF positive patients for TNFRS1A(rs4149570) (0.59 (0.36–0.98), p = 0.040, q = 0.76). Current smokers who carried the NLRP3(rs4612666) variant allele were less likely to benefit from anti-TNF treatment (OR = 0.24 (0.10–0.56), p = 0.001, q = 0.04).ConclusionsIn a population of Danish RA patients, we confirm the NLRP3 gene as associated with EULAR anti-TNF response as previously reported. The NLRP3 variant (T) allele is associated with lower treatment response, in particular among current smokers. Furthermore, we find that a functional polymorphism in the interferon-γ gene is associated with anti-TNF response. All findings should be tested by replication in independent validation cohorts and augmented by assessing cytokine levels and activities of the relevant gene products.

THU0161 Increase in Circulating TH17 Cells during Anti-TNF Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients is Associated with Improvement in Joint Inflammation

BackgroundAnti-TNFα agents have revolutionised treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), although a significant proportion of patients respond inadequately. Studies in murine and human arthritis have paradoxically shown that anti-TNF treatment can...

Circulating Th17 cells and joint inflammation during anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy in rheumatoid arthritis

BackgroundAnti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) agents have revolutionised the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, although a substantial proportion of patients respond inadequately. Studies in murine and human arthritis have paradoxically shown that anti-TNF treatment can increase circulating interleukin-17-producing T helper (Th17) cells but the association of these changes with treatment responses remains unclear. To investigate immune correlates of anti-TNF treatment response in patients with rheumatoid arthritis we did a longitudinal study using serial clinical, ultrasonographic, and T-cell immunological assessments. Methods25 patients with rheumatoid arthritis naive to biological therapy were followed at four predetermined protocol visits during the first 12 weeks of anti-TNF-alpha treatment. 16 patients were treatment responders, as defined by improvement in disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28) by more than 1·2 from baseline. Nine patients were non-responders (change in DAS28 score <1·2 from baseline). Changes in synovial thickening and vascularity of metacarpophalangeal joints were quantitatively assessed by power Doppler ultrasonography (PDUS). Changes in the frequency of circulating Th17 cells were evaluated by ELISPOT and intracellular cytokine staining of peripheral blood mononuclar cells. Statistical analysis included Wilcoxon signed rank matched pairs test and Spearman's rank correlation. Written informed consent was obtained from study participants, and ethics approval was obtained from the local ethics committee. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01060098. FindingsELISPOT analysis showed a significant increase in circulating IL17-producing cells 12 weeks after anti-TNF initiation (baseline vs 12 weeks: mean 466 spSFC/106 [SD 277] vs 759 [510]; p=0·003). Fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis confirmed significant increase in CD4+IL17+ cells at treatment week 12 (baseline vs 12 weeks: mean 0·78% [0·5] vs 1·1 [0·5]; p=0·01). The dynamics of changes in circulating Th17 cells during anti-TNF-alpha treatment were the same in treatment responders and non-responders and in patients treated with different types of anti-TNF alpha agents, suggesting a class effect. The increase in circulating Th17 cells during treatment correlated with reduction in synovial vascularity (r=−0·68, p=0·007) and synovial thickening (r=−0·39; p=0·04) as determined by PDUS. Higher numbers of circulating Th17 cells at baseline were associated with poorer response to anti-TNF-alpha treatment as defined by DAS28 score and ultrasonographic measures. InterpretationThis is the first study, to our knowledge, that links changes in circulating Th17 cells evaluated by cellular assays with resolution of ultrasonographic features of synovitis during anti-TNF treatment. The findings could mean that Th17 cells are redistributed from inflamed joints during treatment or that TNFα could have a role in the regulation of Th17 cell production. FundingThe Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, UK Medical Research Council.

THU0006 PDE3A-SLCO1C1 Locus is Associated with the Response to Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis

BackgroundAnti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) agents have drastically improved the clinical course of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Despite its success, there is a substantial number of patients (20-40%) who do not respond...

THU0541 Association Between Periodontitis and the Risk of Etanercept withdrawal in Anti-TNF-Naïve Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

BackgroundGiven the epidemiologic and immunologic findings, it is hypothesized that that PD may be a risk factor not only for the initiation but also for the progression of RA. To...

GWAS Replication Study Confirms the Association of PDE3A–SLCO1C1 with anti-TNF Therapy Response in Rheumatoid Arthritis

The present study was undertaken to replicate the association of candidate genes for anti-TNF response in rheumatoid arthritis. Candidate genes were selected from a recent genome-wide association study on anti-TNF response performed in a population from Denmark. Genomic DNA was obtained from 315 Spanish rheumatoid arthritis patients having received an anti-TNF agent as their first biological therapy. SNPs from NR2FR2, MAP2K6, CBLN2 and PDE3A-SLCO1C1 candidate loci were genotyped. The PDE3A-SLCO1C1 locus rs3794271 SNP showed a highly significant association with anti-TNF treatment response (p = 1.74 × 10⁻⁵). Combining the statistical evidence from the Spanish and Danish rheumatoid arthritis cohorts, the associated rs3794271 SNP reached a genome-wide significance level of association (p = 3.3 × 10⁻¹⁰). The present findings establish the PDE3A-SLCO1C1 locus as a strong genetic marker of anti-TNF therapy response.

A7.16 Lack of Replication ofPTPRC Geneas a Predictor of Response to Anti-Tumour Necrosis Factor Therapy in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Background and Objectives A genome wide association study (GWAS) with Caucasian Northern European and North American rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and a replication study with English patients, pointed out for an association between PTPRC locus and response to anti-TNF drugs in RA. The Aim of our study was to evaluate whether this association is also verified in a population of Southern European (Portuguese) patients. Materials and Methods We evaluated 383 RA patients from the Portuguese Rheumatic Diseases Register, Reuma.pt, for association between anti-TNF treatment response assessed by an absolute change in DAS28 at six months as the primary outcome and Rs10919563 PTPRC locus. We also studied the same association using the proportion of EULAR good responders and non responders at six months as the secondary outcome. Additive models were used taking the homozygote for the two major alleles as the reference variable. Univariate and multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses were performed, adjusting for clinical variables that influenced treatment response. Results Taking the continuous primary outcome, univariate and multivariate linear regression adjusted for DAS28 and HAQ at baseline showed no association between change in DAS28 at 6 months and PTPRC locus (p-values of 0.72 and 0.69 respectively). Also univariate and multivariate logistic regression (good versus non-responders) did not depict any association with this SNP. Conclusions In this replication study with a cohort of RA. Portuguese patients, we did not observe an association between Rs10919563 PTPRC locus and response to anti-TNF treatment.

Genetic variants within the MAP kinase signalling network and anti-TNF treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis patients

BackgroundRheumatoid arthritis (RA) does not always respond to available treatments, including tumour necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists. A study was undertaken to investigate whether genetic variation within genes, encoding proteins in...

Polymorphisms spanning the TNFR2 and TACE genes do not contribute towards variable anti-TNF treatment response

The introduction of tumour necrosis factor antagonists (anti-TNF) has greatly improved the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, however, a significant proportion of patients fail to respond to therapy. We hypothesized that variants spanning the type 2 TNF receptor (TNFR2) and the TNF cleavage enzyme (TACE) genes contribute towards the observed variation in patient response (defined as the absolute change in 28-joint count disease activity score). Twenty-nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped in a large cohort of patients (n=602) and analysed by multivariate linear regression. Three SNPs (rs520916, rs652625, rs597519) mapping upstream of TNFR2 showed borderline evidence for association (P<0.1) across the complete cohort and, more so, in the etanercept-treated subgroup. However, the evidence of association was neither replicated in an independent cohort (n=377) nor strengthened after combined analysis (n=979). We conclude that common SNPs spanning the TNFR2 and TNF cleavage enzyme (TACE) genes do not have a major effect on the response to anti-TNF therapy in rheumatoid arthritis patients.