Our Mission: Tackling Multi-Drug Resistant RA

The MDR-RA project aims to revolutionize the way we understand and manage RA patients with multi-drug resistance.

Our objective is to:

• Identify the clinical and molecular phenotypes that lead to MDR in RA, allowing us to predict, prevent, or better manage resistance.
• Integrate cutting-edge molecular pathology with clinical, psychosocial, pain perception, and imaging data from existing clinical cohorts.
• Develop holistic, predictive models (iCare-RA) to support personalized treatment decisions and improve patient outcomes.Pioneering Research, Real-World Impact

MDR-RA will test the transformative potential of the iCare-RA model in a prospective randomized trial, comparing it directly with the current standard of care. We will also explore the future implementation of iCare-RA with early economic modelling to ensure sustainability and value for society.

Advancing Science and Care—Together

With a robust management and communication strategy, MDR-RA is committed to:

• Driving scientific discovery beyond the project’s duration
• Facilitating adoption by patients, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and regulators
• Shaping a future where no RA patient is left behind due to treatment resistance

Join us in transforming the future of Rheumatoid Arthritis care.

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We are developing a robust dataplatform to harmonize and integrate diverse rheumatoid arthritis datasets,continuously updated with new data from ongoing studies. Using advancedanalytics and data science, we ensure high-quality, standardized, and interoperabledata—laying the foundation for predictive modelling and breakthrough MDR-RAresearch.

Objectives overview

A Two-Phase Approach

Observational Phase: Building the Foundation

In Phase 1, MDR-RA draws onEurope’s largest clinical and molecular data sets—over 25,000 RA patients from16 centers—to tackle treatment resistance.

Alongside this, we’re enrolling anew observational cohort of 80 RA patients and using specialized bio banks to deepen insights.

FocusAreas:

• Clinical & Imaging Models: Identifying early predictors of resistance.
• Molecular Subtypes: Defining biological profiles from blood and tissue samples.
• iCare-RAIntegration: Merging data into a predictive tool for personalized care.

This phase lays the scientific foundation for smarter, earlier intervention in RA.

Interventional Phase: Validating iCare-RA in Practice

Building on observational insights,MDR-RA moves into clinical validation to test iCare-RA in real-world care.

We’ll run a pilot randomized controlled trial with 100s of RA patients, comparing standard care toiCare-RA-supported treatment.

Objective:

• Validate iCare-RA: Assess how well the tool supports personalized treatment decisions and improves outcomes in MDR-RA compared to usual care.
  This phase is key to proving iCare-RA’s real-world value in transforming RA management.

iCare-RA:Smarter Decisions, Better Outcomes

iCare-RA is an AI-powered tool that combines clinical, imaging, and molecular data to help clinicians:

• Predict treatment failure early
• Personalize therapy for each patient
• Minimize ineffective treatments and drug overuse
  
  Validated in real-world care, iCare-RA aims to transform decision-making for complex RA cases.

Impactful Outputs

DrivingLasting Impact in RA Care

MDR-RA goes beyond patient-level care to support system-wide change in managing multi-drug resistant RA.

KeyGoals:

• Economic Modeling: Assess cost savings, treatment efficiency, and long-term outcomes with iCare-RA.
• ImplementationFramework:Develop a roadmap for clinical adoption, with training and stakeholder strategies.
• OpenBiomedical Resource: Share a rich dataset of clinical, imaging, and molecular profiles to drive future research and innovation.
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  These efforts ensure MDR-RA delivers sustainable tools, scalable solutions, and lasting value for health systems and RA care across Europe

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WhyMDR-RA Matters

RA affects over 7 million people in the EU and is a top cause of disability, with one in three unable to work within five years—costing Europe €55 billion annually.

Around20% of patients have multi-drug resistant (MDR) RA, facing double the costs and a 30% drop in quality of life.

MDR-RA tackles this urgent issue by identifying what drives treatment resistance and developing iCare-RA—a personalized care algorithm to match patients with effective therapies and prevent long-term damage.

The project also supports smarter use of expensive drugs, informs new treatments ,and guides sustainable health policy—backed by early economic modeling.

Impact on Patients and Society

MDR-RA brings real, lasting benefits by advancing precision medicine in rheumatoid arthritis. It aims to improve treatment response, avoid harmful drug exposure, and prevent long-term disability from delayed disease control.

For patients, this means quicker access to effective therapies, fewer trial-and-error cycles, and better protection of mobility and quality of life.For society, it means reducing wasteful healthcare costs and improving the efficiency of national health systems.

The project also drives innovation by identifying new drug targets and diagnostics.With patient voices from the EULAR-PARE Network guiding the work, MDR-RA ensures that care remains truly patient-centered.

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