The study will be carried out in the framework of the IMI2 (innovative medicine
initiative) and EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and
Associations)-funded 3TR (Taxonomy, Treatment, Targets and Remission) project. The
programme is supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation
programme. 3TR is funded under the grant agreement No 831434 and it runs from 2019 to
2026.
3TR is a transdisciplinary consortium that aims to perform a longitudinal
multi-dimensional molecular analysis in patients with autoimmune, allergic and
inflammatory diseases. A molecular profiling approach is a modern and innovative way to
investigate and stratify heterogeneous diseases on the basis of their common biomolecular
pathways. The main hypothesis of the 3TR project is that data obtained from multiomic
analysis across seven different diseases, including SLE, will identify shared biological
pathways that better predict the response or non-response to therapy despite their
differences in terms of clinical phenotypes and pathogenetic mechanisms. Patients from
multiple European centers participating in 3TR will be recruited for a longitudinal
clinical follow-up and collections of several samples that will be used to perform
multi-omic analysis.
Several innovations are expected within the 3TR project to increase the knowledge of
pathogenetic mechanisms underlying the clinical phenotypes in SLE, and to unravel, in the
complexity of SLE biomolecular heterogeneity, the pathways of response or non-response to
treatment, as well as, at an earlier stage, the processes that may lead to disease flare.
These insights could ultimately allow the possibility to effectively practice prevention
and counselling, to adopt measures of personalized treatment or to perform drug
repurposing using the knowledge gained from the SLE studies and the studies on other
diseases within the 3TR project.
Moreover, the impact of the COVID-19 viral pandemic will be implemented in our research.
More specifically, we will investigate the impact of the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2
antibodies of different isotypes (IgA, IgG, IgM) on the development of flare, as well as
on the response or non-response to immunomodulatory therapy.
To implement the strategy, a two-step research has been designed, and comprises:
The flare biomarker study (3TR SLE 1) is considered a "feeding" phase before the
main part. Patients who meet the inclusion criteria for 3TR SLE 2 will be proposed
to participate in the second study.
The response biomarker study (3TR SLE 2), which is a prospective study (main part).
The present protocol relates to the flare biomarker study (3TR SLE 1).