This invention provides methods for predicting response to anti-TNFα biological agent treatment in a rheumatoid arthritis patient and methods for selecting a treatment for a rheumatoid arthritis patient, the methods comprising determining the level of expression of PIK3CD as a biomarker, and optionally also determining the level of expression of CX3CL1 as a second biomarker. The invention additionally provides kits for carrying out the methods described.

A method of evaluating disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis with good sensitivity by a simple method, and a kit for use in the method. It provides a Jacalin-binding O-linked oligosaccharide epitope as a negative marker for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis, and enables more accurate assessment of disease condition by more objectively determining disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis using the amount of variation of a value obtained by multiplying the amount of MMP-3 in the blood or the amount of bound MMP-3 and ABA, ACA, or ACG in the blood by the reciprocal of the amount of bound MMP-3 and Jacalin in the blood. Through the discovery that an LEL or STL-reactive sugar chain on MMP-3 in the blood is a sugar chain marker for diagnosing polymyalgia rheumatica and relapsing polychondritis, the present invention also provides a method for accurate diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica and relapsing polychondritis.

Biomarkers useful for diagnosing and assessing inflammatory disease activity, for prediction of risk for progressive spinal and joint damage, in particular for axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and for generating a dataset are provided, along with kits for measuring expression of the biomarkers. The invention also provides predictive models, based on the biomarkers, as well as computer systems, and software embodiments of the models for scoring and optionally classifying samples.

Biomarkers useful for diagnosing and assessing inflammatory disease activity, for prediction of risk for progressive spinal and joint damage, in particular for axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and for generating a dataset are provided, along with kits for measuring expression of the biomarkers. The invention also provides predictive models, based on the biomarkers, as well as computer systems, and software embodiments of the models for scoring and optionally classifying samples.

Provided herein are methods for assessing response to inflammatory disease therapy. The methods include performing immunoassays to generate scores based on quantitative data for expression of biomarkers relating to inflammatory biomarkers to assess disease activity in inflammatory diseases, e.g., rheumatoid arthritis. Also provided are uses of inflammatory biomarkers for guiding treatment decisions.

The present invention relates to a method for estimating the effectiveness of treatment with an anti-TNFα agent in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and who has had an inadequate response to at least one prior biotherapy, consisting in analysing a biological sample of said patient for the expression of a set of biomarkers, the results of which make it possible to determine whether said agent is a treatment that will engender a beneficial response for said patient. The present invention also relates to a system for estimating the effectiveness of said treatment in said patient comprising means for measuring or receiving data, the expression level of said biomarkers and means for processing these data configured to estimate said effectiveness of the treatment in said patient.

The present invention provides methods for selecting treatment methods for rheumatoid arthritis based on an objective selection process (algorithm). The present invention also provides methods for treating rheumatoid arthritis with treatment methods selected based on the algorithm disclosed herein. The methods of the present invention provide a more effective means for treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Methods and kits for diagnosing arthritis are provided. The methods may involve detection of 14-3-3 eta or gamma proteins in a sera or synovial fluid sample.

Methods of identifying, diagnosing, and prognosing rheumatoid arthritis are provided, as well as methods of treating rheumatoid arthritis. Also provided are methods for identifying effective rheumatoid arthritis therapeutic agents and predicting responsiveness to rheumatoid arthritis therapeutic agents.

Provided herein are methods for predicting a response to anti-TNFα biologic treatment in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The methods can be used to discriminate or categorize patients as likely to respond to a monoclonal antibody-based anti-TNFα biological inhibitor, but not likely to respond to an antibody fragment-based anti-TNFα biological inhibitor or a TNF receptor-based biological inhibitor. Alternatively, the methods are also useful to determine whether patients with RA are likely to respond to an antibody fragment-based anti-TNFα biological inhibitor or a TNF receptor-based biological inhibitor, but not likely to respond to a monoclonal antibody-based anti-TNFα biological inhibitor. Also provided are methods for treating a patient with RA based on the patient's level of rheumatoid factor (RF) and/or anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide autoantibody (ACPA) relative to reference control levels.