Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease affecting the joints, characterised by inflammation that can lead to cartilage and bone damage, resulting in long-term disability. Despite research efforts, there is currently no cure for RA. Available treatments face two main challenges: 1) many patients do not respond well to initial therapies, leading to prolonged exposure to potentially harmful medications and delayed disease control; 2) expensive RA treatments pose a great burden on the global economy. Cuts in healthcare budgets hinder efforts to strengthen rheumatological care networks, preventing the implementation of measures that could reduce long-term costs associated with untreated complications of RA. Moreover, conventional clinical trials are time-consuming and raise ethical concerns. It’s thus crucial to explore alternative approaches that can facilitate innovative trials and reduce costs for pharmaceutical companies as well as financial burdens on patients and families, but also on healthcare systems. Based on the above assumptions, FLAMIN-GO aims to tackle the following key challenges:1) improving the screening of new RA drugs; 2) minimising the occurrence of side effects in RA patients; 3) discovering new biomarkers or therapeutic targets for RA. The main goal of FLAMIN-GO is thus to create an advanced, personalized joint-on-chip platform designed to faithfully replicate the complex characteristics of RA-affected joints, enabling personalised clinical trials-on-chip. OoC platforms provide controlled microenvironments with vasculature-like perfusion, integrating human multicellular structures that mimic the physiological architecture and function of tissues and organs. Such a technology offers an ideal platform for studying disease mechanisms and advancing precision medicine, in order to replace traditional in vitro and animal models which do not accurately represent human physiology. FLAMIN-GO joint-on-chip platform will serve for: 1) personalising treatment by identifying the most effective drug for each individual patient; 2) accelerating the discovery and testing of novel therapeutic targets, paving the way for the development of new drugs. Joint-on-chip will be built using the cells isolated from the patients who usually undergo biopsy, required for the follow-up of their RA. Such cells will form the basis of a multi-compartment microfluidic platform, enabling 3D culture and perfusion of relevant joint tissues, including synovia, synovial fluid, immune components (blood vessels, leukocytes), cartilage, and bone. Upon identifying the most effective drug, it could potentially be administered to the patient within 1-2 months. FLAMIN-GO is pursuing these objectives thanks to a multidisciplinary and international consortium mobilising 14 partners from 6 EU countries and 3 non-EU countries (UK, Switzerland, Turkey) with experts from hospitals, academia, and industry, covering the entire value chain with complementary expertise. Specialists in rheumatology, material science, tissue engineering, nanotechnology, cell biology, and 3D modelling will collaborate in a cohesive, transdisciplinary, multi-sectoral approach for advancing personalised care for RA.
