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Bridging the Precision Gap in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Spatial Transcriptomics, Spatial Proteomics, and Artificial
Maliha Mashkoor1,2, Shihua Zhang2,3,4,5, Allan Stensballe1,6
1Department of Health Science and Technology, The Faculty of Medicine, Aalborg University, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark.
Abstract:
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by complex immune cell associations and continuous joint damage. Personalized clinical assessment and treatment options for RA remain hindered by a precision gap due to an inability to precisely match current global treatment strategies to individual molecular and spatial disease profiles. Recent advances in spatial transcriptomics and proteomics offer unprecedented opportunities to map molecular heterogeneity and spatial heterogeneity within RA tissues by identifying immune microenvironments activated during the disease, thus enabling precise therapeutic targeting. These techniques address the precision gap in RA by identifying distinct pathogenic subpopulations and cellular niches, providing insights into the biomolecules that possess significant therapeutic responses and are involved in disease progression. This review synthesizes recent findings demonstrating how spatial omics technologies, including spatial transcriptomics and proteomics, together with artificial intelligence, are transforming precision rheumatology.
Insights
Spatial omics technologies like transcriptomics and proteomics are revolutionizing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment by mapping disease heterogeneity. This enables precise targeting of immune cells and biomarkers for personalized rheumatology care.
Area of Science:
- Rheumatology
- Immunology
- Genomics
- Proteomics
- Artificial Intelligence
Background:
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease with complex immune cell interactions causing joint damage.
- Current RA treatments face a precision gap, limiting personalized clinical assessment and treatment strategies.
- Understanding molecular and spatial disease profiles is crucial for effective RA management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advances in spatial omics technologies for RA research.
- To highlight how these technologies address the precision gap in RA treatment.
- To explore the integration of spatial omics and AI in precision rheumatology.
Main Methods:
- Spatial transcriptomics to map molecular heterogeneity within RA tissues.
- Spatial proteomics to identify immune microenvironments and cellular niches.
- Integration of artificial intelligence for data analysis and interpretation.
Main Results:
- Spatial omics identify distinct pathogenic subpopulations and cellular niches in RA.
- These techniques reveal immune microenvironments activated during RA pathogenesis.
- Biomolecules with significant therapeutic responses and disease progression roles are identified.
Conclusions:
- Spatial omics technologies offer unprecedented opportunities for precise therapeutic targeting in RA.
- These advancements are transforming precision rheumatology by providing detailed molecular and spatial insights.
- The integration of spatial omics and AI promises more personalized and effective RA treatments.
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