GRAPPA Network - Official

Psoriasis and obesity are closely connected, but how should that shape clinical care?

Join Philip J. Mease, MD, MACR, FRCP, and Luis Puig Sanz, MD, PhD, for an interactive virtual webinar exploring practical approaches to integrating obesity screening and management into psoriasis care.

Benchmark your approach against expert perspectives and gain strategies for supporting compassionate, culturally sensitive conversations.

📅 November 24 | 11:00–12:00 PM ET | Virtual

Register Now: smpl.is/ao49e

#Psoriasis #Obesity #Dermatology #CME #ScientificActivation #EvidenceToAction #Decode

🌟 Trainee Abstract Poster Highlight from the GRAPPA Trainee Symposium at the 2026 Annual Meeting in Lisbon 🌟

Francesca Trunfio from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, presented the following poster:

"JAK-Dependent Regulation of CXCL10, a Known Nociceptive Chemokine, Identifies a Potential Target Underlying Pain Reduction in an In Vitro Model of Enthesitis"

Lay Summary: People with spondyloarthritis (SpA) often continue to experience pain even when inflammation is well controlled. This suggests that factors beyond inflammation may contribute to persistent symptoms. We focused on the enthesis—the site where tendons and ligaments attach to bone—which is the primary site of inflammation in SpA and may also play an important role in pain generation.

Using immune cells isolated from human spinal enthesis tissue, we developed a laboratory model of enthesitis to investigate molecules that could link inflammation to pain. We compared the effects of two Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi), upadacitinib (UPA) and deucravacitinib (DEU), with those of the tumour necrosis factor inhibitor adalimumab (ADA).

We identified CXCL10, an immune signalling molecule known to activate pain pathways, as a potential contributor to persistent pain. UPA markedly reduced CXCL10 production, whereas ADA did not show the same effect.

These findings suggest that JAK inhibitors may reduce pain not only by controlling inflammation but also by limiting neuro-immune signals that sensitize pain pathways. Although further studies in patients are needed, CXCL10 may represent a promising therapeutic target for persistent pain in SpA and help explain why JAK-i often provide greater pain relief than expected from their anti-inflammatory effects alone.

Congratulations to Francesca on this exciting work and thank you for contributing to the future of psoriatic disease research!

#GRAPPA2026 #GRAPPAAnnualMeeting #PsoriaticDisease #MedicalResearch

📣 Last Call!

The final deadline to submit a Young GRAPPA (Y-GRAPPA) 2026 Subcommittee Application is tomorrow.

We hope to see you on Sunday evening in Orlando!

🌟 Trainee Abstract Oral Presentation Highlight from the GRAPPA Trainee Symposium at the 2026 Annual Meeting in Lisbon 🌟

Giulia Marchionni, from Polytechnic University of Marche, Italy, delivered the following oral presentation:

"Inflammatory Signals in Subclinical Psoriatic Arthritis Predict Severe and Polyarticular Disease at Diagnosis"

Lay Summary: Psoriatic arthritis is a condition that can develop in people with psoriasis, causing joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and inflammation. However, it may not appear suddenly. In many patients, the disease may develop gradually through earlier stages, when symptoms are already present but arthritis has not yet been formally diagnosed.

The SPADE study looked at 122 people with psoriasis who later developed psoriatic arthritis. The aim was to understand whether simple clinical signs present before diagnosis could help identify patients at risk of more severe disease or earlier progression.

Many patients already had musculoskeletal symptoms at their first rheumatological evaluation, and in more than one third of cases these symptoms were considered inflammatory by the rheumatologist. This suggests that some patients may already be in an “at-risk” phase before psoriatic arthritis becomes clinically clear.

We found that morning stiffness and higher levels of C-reactive protein, a blood marker of inflammation, were associated with more active psoriatic arthritis at diagnosis. Female sex and morning stiffness also seemed to be linked to a more aggressive disease presentation. Interestingly, higher C-reactive protein was associated with more active disease at diagnosis, but also with greater improvement during the first year of follow-up. This may be because patients with clearer signs of inflammation receive earlier or more intensive treatment.

We did not identify strong predictors of faster transition from psoriasis to psoriatic arthritis. Overall, patients with psoriasis, musculoskeletal symptoms, persistent morning stiffness, or raised inflammatory markers may benefit from earlier rheumatology referral.

Congratulations to Giulia on this exciting work and thank you for contributing to the future of psoriatic disease research!

#GRAPPA2026 #GRAPPAAnnualMeeting #PsoriaticDisease #MedicalResearch