Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Comment
  • Published:

Looking to the new horizon in rheumatology research

Nature Reviews Rheumatology volume 21, pages 644–645 (2025)Cite this article

Subjects

The future of rheumatology research will be defined by the growing era of personalized and stratified medicine, with a focus on establishing drug-free remission. In the face of substantial global upheaval, now is the time to ensure no patient group is left behind by prioritizing research equity and inclusion.

Access through your institution
Buy or subscribe

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access through your institution

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Findeisen, K. E., Sewell, J. & Ostor, A. J. K. Biological therapies for rheumatoid arthritis: an overview for the clinician. Biologics 15, 343–352 (2021).

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Schett, G., McInnes, I. B. & Neurath, M. F. Reframing immune-mediated inflammatory diseases through signature cytokine hubs. N Engl. J. Med. 385, 628–639 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Wedderburn, L. R. et al. Towards molecular-pathology informed clinical trials in childhood arthritis to achieve precision medicine in juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 82, 449–456 (2023).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Benavent, D. et al. Artificial intelligence to predict treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis: a scoping review. Rheumatol. Int. 45, 91 (2025).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Bolton, C. et al. Synovial tissue atlas in juvenile idiopathic arthritis reveals pathogenic niches associated with disease severity. Sci. Transl. Med. 17, eadt6050 (2025).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Kartawinata, M. et al. Identification and validation of interferon-driven gene signature as a predictor of response to methotrexate in juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Ann. Rheum. Dis. 84, 1412–1424 (2025).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Feilding, F. L. et al. How can trial designs better serve the needs of children and young people with juvenile idiopathic arthritis? Lancet Rheumatol. 6, e648–e652 (2024).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Peckham, H., Webb, K., Rosser, E. C., Butler, G. & Ciurtin, C. Gender-diverse inclusion in immunological research: benefits to science and health. Front. Med. 9, 909789 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Vassileva, M. T. et al. Improving health equity in rheumatology through workforce diversification and support for health equity research and education. Arthritis Rheumatol. 76, 989–992 (2024).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Medical Research Council. Clinical researchers in the United Kingdom: reversing the decline to improve population health and promote economic growth (UKRI, 2025).

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank A. Croft for the numerous fruitful discussions that have helped shape some of the ideas outlined in this comment and D. Matei for proofreading. E.C.R. is funded by a senior research fellowship awarded by the Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research (KENN 21 22 09) and a research prize awarded by the Lister Institute for Preventive Medicine. L.R.W. is partly supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Adolescent Rheumatology at University College London, University College London Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK

    Elizabeth C. Rosser & Lucy R. Wedderburn

  2. Department for Ageing, Rheumatology and Regenerative Medicine, Division of Medicine, University College London, London, UK

    Elizabeth C. Rosser

  3. Infection, Immunity and Inflammation Department, University College London Great Ormond Street Institute for Child Health, London, UK

    Lucy R. Wedderburn

  4. National Institute of Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK

    Lucy R. Wedderburn

Authors
  1. Elizabeth C. Rosser
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lucy R. Wedderburn
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elizabeth C. Rosser.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Rosser, E.C., Wedderburn, L.R. Looking to the new horizon in rheumatology research. Nat Rev Rheumatol 21, 644–645 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41584-025-01295-w

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41584-025-01295-w

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing