RTCure · Project

Early Detection and Prevention Tools for Rheumatoid Arthritis Before Symptoms Strike

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Imagine catching a fire before it starts — that's what RTCure aimed to do with rheumatoid arthritis. Right now, doctors mostly treat RA after joints are already inflamed and damaged. This project brought together 20 partners across 10 countries to find ways to spot people at high risk before they ever get joint problems, and to "retrain" the immune system so it stops attacking the body. They ran clinical trials testing tolerance-based treatments in patients at the earliest stages — even before typical symptoms appear — using standardized biomarkers so results could be compared across different trials.

By the numbers

EUR 6,000,000

EU contribution to the project

consortium partners across the project

countries represented in the consortium

industry partners in the consortium

total project deliverables completed

SMEs participating in the consortium

40%

industry partner ratio in consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Rheumatoid arthritis affects millions globally, but current treatments only start after joints are already damaged — there are no approved drugs for the earliest stages when people feel pain and fatigue but don't yet have full-blown disease. Companies developing RA therapeutics and diagnostics lack standardized tools to identify at-risk individuals early and to measure whether tolerance-based treatments actually work across different clinical trials.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered 29 deliverables including validated methods to identify individuals at high risk for RA before joint inflammation, standardized biomarker panels for monitoring immune tolerance across clinical trials, and a data platform integrating clinical, genetic, transcriptional, and cytometry data from multiple cohorts. Clinical trials tested tolerance-based treatments in early-stage and pre-clinical RA patients.

Audience

Who needs this

Pharma companies developing next-generation RA treatments targeting early disease stagesDiagnostics companies building autoimmune disease risk screening productsClinical trial organizations needing validated biomarker endpoints for RA studiesDigital health companies building rheumatology clinical decision support toolsHealth insurance companies interested in early intervention to reduce long-term RA treatment costs

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Pharmaceuticals

enterprise

Target: Pharma companies developing autoimmune disease treatments

If you are a pharma company investing in rheumatoid arthritis therapies — this project developed standardized biomarker panels and validated methods to monitor immune tolerance across clinical trials. With 8 industry partners including major pharma already involved, the project delivered tools to stratify patients for clinical trials and identify responders earlier, potentially cutting trial costs and failure rates for RA drugs.

Diagnostics & Medical Devices

mid-size

Target: Diagnostics companies developing autoimmune disease screening

If you are a diagnostics company looking for the next generation of screening tests — this project validated new methods to identify individuals at high risk for RA before joint inflammation begins. The consortium worked with clinical, genetic, transcriptional, and cytometry data across 20 partners to build risk prediction tools that could become the basis for commercial diagnostic kits targeting the pre-clinical RA population.

Digital Health & Health IT

SME

Target: Health data analytics and clinical decision support companies

If you are a health IT company building clinical decision support tools — this project built data analysis platforms integrating clinical, genetic, transcriptional, and cytometry datasets from multiple cohorts across 10 countries. The deliverable on long-term data access solutions means there are validated data architectures ready to be adapted into commercial analytics products for rheumatology practice.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or access RTCure's biomarker panels and data tools?

RTCure was funded under IMI2 (Innovative Medicines Initiative), a public-private partnership with specific IP rules. Licensing terms depend on the contributing partners — with 8 industry and 10 university partners, IP is likely shared. Contact the coordinator at Karolinska Institutet to discuss access and licensing conditions.

Can these methods scale to screen large populations for RA risk?

The project developed and validated methods across cohorts in 10 countries with 20 consortium partners, suggesting the approach was designed for multi-site use. The standardized biomarker panels were specifically built to work across different clinical trial protocols, which is a strong foundation for population-scale deployment.

Who owns the intellectual property from this project?

As an IMI2 project (topic IMI2-2016-09-02), IP follows IMI2 rules where results generally belong to the partner that generated them. With 8 industry partners and 10 universities in the consortium, specific IP elements like biomarker panels, data tools, and clinical protocols may have different owners. A freedom-to-operate analysis would be needed.

What regulatory approvals would be needed to use these results commercially?

Any diagnostic kit based on RTCure's risk prediction methods would need CE marking (EU IVDR) or FDA clearance. The clinical trial data and validated biomarker panels from the project could support regulatory submissions, but additional validation studies would likely be required for commercial approval.

How long until these tools could reach the market?

The project ran from 2017 to 2023 and is now closed. Biomarker validation and clinical trial results are available. Based on available project data, the standardized monitoring methods are research-validated but would need further commercial development — likely 3-5 years for a diagnostic product, depending on regulatory pathway.

Can RTCure's data platform integrate with existing hospital systems?

The project delivered tools for accessing and analyzing clinical, genetic, transcriptional, and cytometry data from multiple partners. Based on the deliverable description, the platform was designed for research use across 20 partners in 10 countries, suggesting interoperability was a design requirement, though clinical IT integration would need additional work.

Consortium

Who built it

RTCure's consortium of 20 partners across 10 countries (AT, AU, BE, CH, DE, HU, NL, SE, UK, US) is notably strong for commercialization potential. With a 40% industry ratio — 8 industry partners including major pharma alongside 10 universities and 2 research organizations — the project was designed from the start as a public-private collaboration under IMI2. The coordinator is Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, a world-leading medical university. The presence of 2 SMEs signals that smaller companies were already finding commercial angles. The geographic spread across Europe, Australia, and the US means results are validated across diverse healthcare systems, which strengthens the case for any company looking to bring RA diagnostics or treatments to multiple markets.

KAROLINSKA INSTITUTETCoordinator · SE
ACADEMISCH ZIEKENHUIS LEIDENparticipant · NL
MEDIZINISCHE UNIVERSITAET WIENparticipant · AT
PFIZER LIMITEDparticipant · UK
THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLANDparticipant · AU
SANOFI-AVENTIS DEUTSCHLAND GMBHparticipant · DE
GLAXOSMITHKLINE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT LIMITEDparticipant · UK
UCB BIOPHARMAparticipant · BE
THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAMparticipant · UK
UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNEparticipant · UK
SEMMELWEIS EGYETEMparticipant · HU
DEUTSCHES RHEUMA FORSCHUNGSZENTRUMBERLINparticipant · DE
FONDAZIONE PER L'ISTITUTO DI RICERCA IN BIOMEDICINAparticipant · CH
UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOWparticipant · UK
UNIVERSITATSKLINIKUM ERLANGENparticipant · DE
BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB COMPANY CORPparticipant · US
JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICA NVparticipant · BE
KING'S COLLEGE LONDONparticipant · UK

How to reach the team

Karolinska Institutet (Sweden) — search for RTCure project lead in rheumatology department

Order a report on this consortium See KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the RTCure team? SciTransfer can connect you with the right research partners for licensing, collaboration, or data access. Contact us for a tailored briefing.

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