Arthritis inception cohort and biobank

What is an inception cohort?

It is a group of patients who are followed up from the time of their first diagnosis. For SERA we hope to recruit ~2000 patients with a recent diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis from across Scotland.

What is a Biobank?

It is a carefully regulated ‘bank’ of tissue or blood samples that are being stored for future analysis.

Why do we need this trial?

RA is a disease that may be mild or severe, and some patients respond better to one treatment rather than another. It would be very helpful to be able to accurately predict which patients need which treatment.

How will SERA help?

Analysing the DNA (genes) and proteins in patients’ blood, and matching the results up with the progress of their treatment should help us to identify a profile of ‘biomarkers’ that could predict prognosis or response to therapy in future patients.

Who is funding SERA?

The Chief Scientist’s Office, Scottish Government.