Jennifer Anolik, MD, PhD
Although new treatments have improved outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), disability remains high, most patients have ongoing disease activity, and lasting remissions are rare. A major gap in the field is the elusive identity of pathogenic cells driving persistent inflammation and bone erosion. Our lab focuses on the identification of pathogenic B cell subsets in RA, which might drive persistent and aggressive disease. We recently identified a subset of B cells expressing the classic T cell lineage defining transcription factor T-bet enriched in the RA synovium that we propose mediates B cell-driven bone activation of osteoclasts, inhibition of osteoblasts, and promotion of pro-inflammatory monocytes. We will use deeply characterized RA patient cohorts, high- resolution single cell transcriptomic and spatial analysis of joint target tissue, and novel animal models to track T bet B cells and selectively and conditionally delete T-bet in B cells of mice with arthritis