There is now evidence that the immunological disease process starts many years before the onset of clinically detectable inflammatory arthritis (IA). It is now a realistic goal to treat individuals in this pre-clinical phase with the possibility of arresting their progression to clinical disease.

Individuals at risk of developing RA can be identified by the presence of CCP antibodies alongside other clinical features. In Leeds we have developed a prediction model that stratifies these individuals into at-risk vs. low risk. At present there are no treatments in this pathway until individuals develop IA.

T-cells appear to be an appropriate target in at-risk individuals as they play a critical role in the generation and maintenance of autoimmunity. Abatacept (Orencia) is a selective Tcell modulator that blocks a co-stimulatory signal needed to activate Tcells and has an excellent safety profile.