Identification of cellular and serum biomarkers indicating response to methotrexate (MTX) treatment in patients with juvenile uveitis

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Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most frequent rheumatic disease of childhood. Ocular involvement manifesting as anterior uveitis is frequent, especially in children with oligoarticular subtype of arthritis. Methotrexate (MTX) is the first-line treatment of choice for both arthritis as well as JIA-associated uveitis, however, response is insufficient in about one third of patients.The current project focuses on the role of monocytes in this disease entity, seeking to identify disease mechanisms and investigating especially the role of this cell type in mediating clinical response to MTX-treatment.We seek to identify biomarkers for response to systemic treatment, aiming at improvement of therapeutic strategies and selection of patients for treatment with MTX.The work programme encompasses phenotypic and functional analyses of peripher blood monocytes and T cells as well as cytokines and other biomarkers in serum samples of patients with JIA with or without uveitis.By comparing samples of untreated patients and of healthy age-matched controls we hope to obtain information about the pathophysiologic mechanisms in early stages of disease. The analysis of consecutive samples of individuals before and during systemic treatment with MTX might reveal differences between patient with favourable response to treatment and those who are non-responders.