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4. German Arthritis Research Centre Berlin:
The main objective of this project is to develop a translational approach to convert the knowledge of global gene expression studies into diagnostic and prognostic applications in the field of chronic-inflammatory rheumatic diseases. This approach named "cytometric profiling" is primarily based on our findings that human monocytes isolated from different chronic rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS), reveal disease-specific transcriptional imprints which allowed us to classify and predict rheumatic diseases with a limited number of genes. Cytometric profiling uses the transcriptional knowledge for the development of specialized multiparametric flow cytometric protocols for monitoring the expression of candidate genes combined with lineage and activation/differentiation markers at the single cell level. Additionally, our experimental strategy was applied to monitor treatment studies with antibody-based biologicals, such as anti-TNF, anti-CD20 or anti-CD25 antibodies.
With respect to diagnostic applications and screening of large cohorts of patients cytometric profiling offers numerous advantages in comparison to gene expression profiling. The procedure is much faster and needs no elaborate and expensive sample preparation. Furthermore, it is more flexible concerning exchange or addition of new candidate genes and finally, cytometry allows measurement at the single cell level. Hence this concept complies with all the requirements necessary for its future implementation in the field of diagnostic applications.
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