The effect of cytokine blockade on rheumatoid arthritis synovial fluid stimulated macrophage.

Inflammation of the joints is one of the main clinical characteristics of rheumatoid arthritis. In non-diseased situations the joints are bathed in synovial fluid, which contributes to the health of joints. However, in rheumatoid arthritis the composition of the synovial fluid is dramatically changed and thus drives the disease process. Newly emerging therapies target components within the synovial fluid, which are known to stimulate immune cells that have moved into the joints. The proposed studies in this project will examine one of these therapies to understand how it can alter the stimulation of our immune cells. This will hopefully give us insight into aspect of the disease process and how therapies alter this.