Winter 2025 | Volume 11 Issue 1

Dear Hello Lisa,

Welcome to SPARTAN! Thank you for your unwavering commitment to SPARTAN and the advancement of spondyloarthritis research and care. Please reply to this message if you did not receive a recent congratulatory message welcoming you to SPARTAN. There were glitches in our email confirmations.

We are eagerly counting down to the 2025 Annual Meeting in Toronto, scheduled for May 9–10, with an opening reception on May 8. The agenda promises to be dynamic, featuring renowned speakers, impactful discussions, and opportunities for networking. Remember that the Spondyloarthritis Review Course will also take place on May 8. For those traveling from outside Canada, please ensure your passport is valid through at least November 2025 to avoid any last-minute complications. Information about travel is available here.

On a pivotal note, the CLASSIC study has entered its final stretch. This groundbreaking initiative will determine the next classification criteria for axial spondyloarthritis, replacing the 2009 ASAS criteria. All Associate and Full members will have the privilege to vote on two proposed models. While both reflect rigorous efforts, there are key differences in methodology and emphasis, particularly regarding the role of MRI in classification. To empower you with a comprehensive understanding, the SPARTAN CLASSIC Steering Committee will host several town halls, and recordings of the CLASSIC presentations at the ASAS meeting in Maastricht will soon be available. I strongly encourage everyone to attend these sessions and engage in this important dialogue. Your informed vote is essential to shaping the future of classification criteria in our field.

I’m thrilled to announce Dr. Samantha Bowman as the recipient of this year’s Spondyloarthritis Research Fellowship. Congratulations, Samantha, on this well-deserved recognition of your work!

Lastly, I extend heartfelt gratitude to our sponsors for their invaluable support. Your contributions fuel SPARTAN’s mission and enable us to achieve new heights in research, education, and advocacy.

Thank you all for your continued dedication. I look forward to seeing you in Toronto and engaging in the vibrant discussions and collaborations that define SPARTAN.

Regards, Matt

Matthew Stoll, MD, PhD, MSCS

Professor, Pediatric Rheumatology

University of Alabama at Birmingham

US and Mexico travelers - remember to check your passport expiration date

Canada travel information

https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/td-dv-eng.html

https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/td-dv-eng.html#s3

Hilton Toronto Hotel

145 Richmond Street West

Toronto, ON M5H 2L2, CA

Make hotel reservations (before April 7 to assure availability)

Annual Meeting Agenda

Spondyloarthritis Review Course

Visit our meeting page

SPARTAN PROJECT UPDATES

CLASSIC is Completed. Important Announcement

The performance of the 2009 ASAS classification criteria has been tested using the CLASSIC study data and the results presented at the 2024 ACR annual meeting. Sensitivity was 82.4% and specificity was 77.1%. The 2009 criteria therefore failed to meet prespecified performance targets of ≥75% sensitivity and ≥90% specificity.

ASAS and SPARTAN members of the CLASSIC steering committees (SC) met multiple times over the past 2 years to discuss an extensive array of analyses aimed at deriving criteria that met pre-specified performance targets (≥75/≥90 for sensitivity/specificity).

The CLASSIC Study analyses have now been completed, and SPARTAN’s model for axial Spondyloarthritis Classification Criteria is ready. ASAS has also put forward their model, and both models were discussed at the ASAS Annual Workshop in Maastricht in the 3^rd week of January.

In April, SPARTAN Full and Associate members are expected to vote on which model will replace the 2009 criteria. To help make this decision, a series of educational webinars will be held for SPARTAN members.

Treatment Guidelines

The American College of Rheumatology, with the support of individual SPARTAN members and the SAA and SPARTAN organization, has embarked on a revision of the axial spondyloarthritis treatment guidelines. This project is far more extensive than prior practice guidelines. It involves over 30 investigators, private practitioners, trainees, and staff. It will address over 140 clinical scenarios and so far has required the review of over 14,000 scientific citations. The approach to guideline revision is itself being revamped in such a way as to facilitate more frequent revisions, more rapid inclusion of the latest medical literature, and the latest trends in guideline development. Stay tuned at the SPARTAN annual meeting for updates in the process.

....Liron Caplan, MD, PhD | University of Colorado

Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment in axSpA

What is the lifetime risk of development of axSpA among HLA B27+ first degree relatives of axSpA patients?

9% or 42% or 27% or 19%

What's the correct answer? Click here...

Research Corner

For this edition’s Research Corner, I would like to highlight the recent article from Pacheco et al, “Enhanced Type I Interferon Signature in Axial Spondyloarthritis Patients Unresponsive to Secukinumab” appearing in Arthritis and Rheumatology January 2025, PMID: 39160761. Across studies of biologics, a certain proportion of patients fail to respond. Previous studies have revealed immunologic heterogeneity among subjects with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), including one from this group showing excess IL-17 pathway activation in males vs females. As therapeutic options have expanded, the idea of biologically profiling patients in order to choose the best therapeutic option for individuals is very attractive, with its promise of increased efficacy and faster control of disease. In this study, they analyzed peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 44 subjects pre and post 24 weeks of secukinumab by flow cytometry and CD4 T cell gene expression (nano-string). There were 25 responders (SEC-R) and 19 non-responders (SEC-NR). Briefly, SEC-NR had increased Th17 prior to secukinumab vs SEC-R, as well as increased CXCR3 expression. CXCR3 is a chemokine receptor for IFN-induced chemokines including CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11. Consistent with these flow results, gene expression revealed increased type I IFN-induced genes in SEC-NR that failed to modulate with treatment in contrast with SEC-R. In comparison, SEC-R had a greater cytotoxic T cell gene expression prior to treatment. These results are interesting for multiple reasons. The higher IL-17 in SEC-NR was surprising, suggesting that excess production of specific cytokines will not necessarily indicate the best therapeutic avenue. The role of IFN is largely unknown in axSpA. Perhaps these patients would be better served with the JAKi? Finally, their results support the feasibility and a mandate to continue working towards the goals of precision medicine.

.... Judith Smith, MD,PhD | University of Wisconsin Madison