Coordinator of AutoPiX
Our group coordinates AutoPiX, an ambitious Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) public-private partnership to improve the diagnosis, treatment decisions, and monitoring of major rheumatic diseases by greatly improving imaging biomarkers for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and axial spondyloarthritis.
This project, which involves 19 partners from nine European countries is coordinated jointly by our partner Johnson & Johnson.
Our research group further participates in several national and international research groups and associations.
OMERACT
Our research group is involved in several subgroups of the OMERACT Ultrasound Working Group, where much of the methodological research focusing on the validation and implementation of musculoskeletal ultrasound as an outcome measure which is capable, not only of detecting but more importantly quantifying a wide variety of manifestations in practically all rheumatic diseases.
SQUEEZE CONSORTIUM
This consortium focuses on optimizing the use of already available therapeutics in rheumatoid arthritis. Members of our research group are actively involved in work package 4, in a multicenter, prospective, observational trial which is based on synovial biopsies.
Ludwig Boltzman Institute
Our research group is involved in the Ludwig Boltzman Institute for Arthritis and Rehabilitation. The Institute’s research programs address clinical and translational research questions in the fields of rheumatology and rehabilitation. The focus of clinical research is on imaging in osteoarthritis in relation to both inflammatory and degenerative aspects as well as articular and periarticular manifestations.
FWF I5620-B
In this joint project with the research group of Tamás Mészáros at the Department of Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary, we aim to generate highly selective aptamers targeting proteins that are markers of activated fibroblasts and investigate their potential as diagnostic tools and/or therapeutic agents. Our second goal is to identify previously unknown surface proteins of activated fibroblasts.