Investigators to Review New Discoveries in Cellular Therapy, Pain Mediation, and More

Investigators will showcase the strides they have made in furthering the understanding of several aspects of rheumatic diseases, including identifying new potential for cellular therapy, the interplay of the microbiome and immunology, and new approaches to pain mediation, in the basic science program during ACR Convergence 2024.

“We have about two dozen basic science sessions planned on a broad range of topics reflecting new discoveries in multiple areas of rheumatology,” said Anne Davidson, MBBS, Professor of Molecular Medicine at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra Northwell Health, and Chair of the Basic Science Team for the Annual Meeting Planning Committee (AMPC). She highlighted some of the hot topics in this year’s scientific sessions.

Two afternoon sessions on Monday, Nov. 18, will explore the delivery of therapeutics for rheumatic disease. Delivering the Goods at Nanoscale: Novel Biomaterials as Therapies for Autoimmune Diseases, 1–2 p.m. ET in Room 103AB, will discuss drug delivery using biomaterials. BiKEs, TriKEs, and Exotic CARs: Riding Therapy Into the Next Generation of Treatment, 3–4:30 p.m. in Hall D/E, will highlight CAR T-cell therapy, which employs a patient’s own immune cells to treat disease.

“This will show people what the future might look like in cellular therapy,” Dr. Davidson said. “This year, we’re delving deeper into new development in this area that is going to progress and become available for many of our rheumatic diseases.”

Multiple sessions will address the role of the microbiome in rheumatic disease. On Saturday, Nov. 16, A Case of Miscommunication: Perturbed Host-Microbe Crosstalk, will be from 3–4:30 p.m. in Room 102AB. On Monday, Don’t Bug Me: Microbial Metabolites Underlying Disease will be from 2:15–3:15 p.m. in Room 102AB.

“The whole microbiome area is starting to move from descriptions of what the bacteria are to actual mechanisms of how they might be influencing immune function,” Dr. Davidson said.

The understanding of how pain is mediated through various pain receptors also continues to evolve.

“Pain is still a frontier that we don’t deal with well enough,” Dr. Davidson said.

On Sunday, Nov. 17, SOTA: Living at the Synapse: It’s Time to Embrace Neuroimmune Cross Talk, 9–10 a.m. in Room 146C, will address how the neurologic and immune systems communicate. Another Sunday session, Chewing the Fat…and the Cartilage: Breakthroughs in Osteoarthritis Research, 10:30–11:30 a.m. in Room 102AB, will include a presentation on pain relief. Then on Monday, Inferno Within: The Role of Sensory Systems in Immune-Induced Exaggerated Pain, 1–2:30 p.m. in Room 146C, will highlight the emerging data on neurotransmitters, pain channels, and other molecules important in pain.

Emerging concepts regarding the dynamics of aging, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysregulation will be featured in the Saturday session Mitochondria: Fueling Autoimmunity, 9–10 a.m. in Room 102AB, and the Monday session Inflammaging: Old Cells Die Hard, 10–11:30 a.m. in Room 143ABC.

State-of-the-Art (SOTA) sessions featuring a single speaker allow for a greater examination of a given topic, including the neuroimmunology session mentioned above. The basic science program includes two additional SOTA sessions. On Sunday, SOTA: Complement-Ary Functions for a T-Cell Enzyme: New Insights into Granzyme K will be from 10:30–11:30 a.m. in Ballroom A. On the final day of ACR Convergence, Tuesday, Nov. 19, SOTA: Busy Bs: Deciphering B Cell Contributions to Rheumatoid Synovitis will be from 9:30–10:30 a.m. in Room 144ABC.

“These are areas where there is a lot of data and the speaker can give the audience a proper overview of the area and show all of the new data,” Dr. Davidson said. “That’s why we’ve chosen topics that are closely relevant to our diseases.”

The Monday session XIST-ential: Sex-Biased Epigenetic Control of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, 9–10 a.m. in Room 145AB, will discuss the role of the X chromosome in autoimmune disease.

“Women have a higher frequency of most autoimmune diseases, but on the plus side, they’re better protected from viral infections. We learned that during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dr. Davidson said. “It’s always been a question of what is more important: hormones versus genetics. Now, there is new information about how the components of the inactivated X chromosome may work to influence the immune system in women in mediating more robust inflammation.”

Additional basic science sessions

Saturday, Nov 16

• The JCR-ACR Scientific Session: At the Heart of the Inflamed Vessel: New Insights into Cardiovascular Disease and Vasculitis, 9–10 a.m. ET, Room 145AB
• GRASPing and cGASing at SSc Pathogenesis: Molecular Insights into Centromeres, Genes, and Beyond, 10–11:30 a.m. ET, Room 144ABC
• Fueling the Flame: New Mechanisms in Autoinflammatory Diseases, 10–11:30 a.m. ET, Room 103AB
• ACE-ing the Test: Mechanistic Studies Enhance Clinical Trials  – The Autoimmunity Centers of Excellence Experience, 1–2:30 p.m. ET, Room 102AB
• From Womb to Rheum: Nonredundant Roles for Innate Lymphoid Cells in Inflammation, 2:15–3:15 p.m. ET, Room 152B
• Bone Voyage: Inflammatory Bone Loss and Metabolism, 3–4:30 p.m. ET, Room 206

Sunday, Nov 17

• Hench Memorial Lecture — Synovial Fibroblast in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Searching for Targetable Mechanism, 1–2 p.m. ET, Room 145AB
• The Untouchable B Cell: Novel Insights into Antibody-Secreting Cells, 1–2:30 p.m. ET, Room 144ABC
• Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Exploring the Epithelial-Immune Cell Interplay Underlying Sjögren’s Syndrome, 3–4:30 p.m. ET, Room 144ABC

Monday, Nov 18

• Gluck Memorial Lecture — Osteoimmunology: The Little Niche with Big Impact, 10:30–11:30 a.m. ET, Room 144ABC
• Gasping for Cellular Repair: New Insights Into Interstitial Lung Disease Pathogenesis and Treatment, 1–2:30 p.m. ET, Room 143ABC
• Gout, Gout, Get Ready for a Bout: Here Come New Mechanisms to Knock You Out, 3–4:30 p.m. ET, Room 143ABC