Featured First Author Profiles

Dr. Stefano Alivernini is an academic researcher in Rheumatology at the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS – Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Rome (Italy). He undertook his medical degree and specialty training in Rheumatology at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Rome and completed his PhD in Clinical Proteomics at the University of Verona. After the subspecialty degree in Rheumatology he took part to the “Inflammatory Arthritis Fellowship Program” during which he did his training, as research fellow, on synovial tissue biopsy and basic and translational science at the Institute of Clinical Immunology of the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam and at the Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation of the University of Glasgow. His research activity is mainly focused on Rheumatoid Arthritis and Psoriatic Arthritis with specific interest on synovitis, mechanisms leading to tissue inflammation and its resolution and on biomarkers discovery for personalised medicine in inflammatory arthritis treatment (from multiple fields as epigenetics, omics, autoimmunity and pro-resolving mediators). In particular, his own interests lie in finding biomarkers predicting successful remission in response to current treatments aiming to develop algorithm for personalized medicine for RA and PsA. He is in chief of the synovial tissue biopsy unit (SYNGem) at the Division of Rheumatology of the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, which is actively involved in translational studies and tissue-driven clinical trials. He is a member of the European Synovitis Study Group (ESSG) and of the Rheumatoid Arthritis Pathogenesis Centre of Excellence (RACE) network in collaboration with the Universities of Glasgow, Newcastle and Birmingham. Stefano is a member of the EMEUNET (Emerging EULAR Network) Country Liaison subgroup. Outside of work his passions are arts and travelling.

RESEARCH
Differential synovial tissue biomarkers among psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid factor/anti-citrulline antibody-negative rheumatoid arthritis
Stefano Alivernini et al.
Arthritis Research & Therapy 2019 21:116
Published on: 9 May 2019

Other published articles in Arthritis Research & Therapy by Dr. Alivernini can be found here.

Dr. Debbie Boeters is an academic researcher in Rheumatology at the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands. Her research focuses mainly on early identification of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. One of her studies details the additional value of MRI-detected erosions and inflammation and of novel autoantibodies. She found that thus far, their value in improving early identification of RA patients is limited. One of the difficulties is that RA is considered to be a heterogeneous disease, probably consisting of separate disease subsets, besides ACPA positive and ACPA negative RA. Especially ACPA negative RA is considered to consist of separate disease subsets. In part of her research, she aimed to differentiate ACPA negative RA patients in subgroups based on the clinical outcome. To this end, she studied the achievement of sustained DMARD-free remission, which currently can be considered the best clinical outcome. Mechanisms underlying the achievement of sustained DMARD-free remission remain unclear but she aims to get more insight into this relevant outcome.

Besides research she also likes to be involved in patient care, and recently started her training to become a rheumatologist. Outside of work she loves to spend time outside, either cycling or walking through nature.

RESEARCH
ACPA-negative RA consists of subgroups: patients with high likelihood of achieving sustained DMARD-free remission can be identified by serological markers at disease presentation
Debbie M. Boeters et al.
Arthritis Research & Therapy 2019 21:121
Published on: 14 May 2019

Other published articles in Arthritis Research & Therapy by Dr. Boeters can be found here.