I would like to develop a method using a small biopsy to evaluate clinical responses in patients with autoimmune disease. The biopsy tissue would be the target tissue destroyed by the autoimmune process but readily accessible and relatively non-invasive...the key goal is that, if successful, the method would avoid the use of DMARDS and associated morbidity before therapy.
I want to develop a strategy to determine feasibility of this but am bogged down in developing a logical approach.
The mechanism of tissue destruction in this model is unclear but appears to involve apoptosis. I can establish the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways in vitro in homologous target tissue cell lines and I can turn the extrinsic pathway off using estrogen. I have not tried to inhibit other pathways yet.
Any suggestions on this general idea?Email me
I wondered about first determining that both pathways exist in a biopsy of the target tissue and attempting to turn them on and off to replicate pathogenesis.
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