The predictive biomarkers of TNFα-blocking agent responsiveness are specific for adalimumab and etanercept

The objective of this study was to identify specific gene expression profiles able to predict the response of rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with methotrexate (MTX)/adalimumab (ADA) or MTX/etanercept (ETA). Twenty RA patients were received subcutaneously Adalimumab (40 mg each other week) and eleven RA patients were received Etanercept (50 mg per week). The drug efficacy was evaluated with the DAS28 score after 3 months of treatment according to the EULAR response criteria. A blood sample was carried out in patients just before the first injection of treatment in order to isolate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and extract total RNA. Two color experiments : patient(Cy5)/Control pool (Cy3).