RUB – Ruhr-University Bochum

Ruhr-University Bochum is located in the heart of Europe in the dynamic metropolitan region of the Ruhrgebiet. With its 21 faculties, Ruhr University is home to about 40,000 students and a driving force of social change.

St. Elisabeth Gruppe – Katholische Kliniken Rhein-Ruhr, Rheumazentrum Ruhrgebiet diagnoses and treats patients whose symptoms indicate a possible rheumatic disease. It is the largest highly specialised rheumatology clinic in Germany and Europe. The team of doctors also has many years of experience with less common rheumatic diseases; some are scientifically active in rheumatology at an international level. In addition to physiotherapy and occupational therapy, medication plays a particularly important role in the treatment of rheumatic diseases. Research into the causes of rheumatic diseases and collaboration in the continuous development of innovative medicines is an important task of the Rheumazentrum Ruhrgebiet.

The Rheumazentrum Ruhrgebiet and the Clinic for Internal Medicine and Rheumatology are part of the Marien Hospital Herne – University Hospital of Ruhr-University Bochum. In collaboration with the radiology department of RUB as well as the nuclear medicine department of the University Hospital Essen, Germany: conventional radiographs, MRI and PET-MRI with the possibility of obtaining imaging-guided biopsies of the sacroiliac joints, the spine and entheses.

What is the role of RUB in Autopix

Own laboratory facilities with all necessary cell and tissue sorting equipment and quantification capabilities with direct contact with imaging science for project collaboration.

Q&A

In what part of the patient journey will your institution most likely contribute?

As the leading institutions in WP 5 and 6, we at RUB are primarily responsible for the planning, implementation and evaluation of these two subprojects. In subproject 5, advanced AI algorithms are to be created and validated through the retrospective analysis of existing radiological images (X-ray, CT and MRI), which should help in the future to detect axial rheumatological diseases at an early stage and also to assess the risk of radiographic progression better. WP6 combines 4 prospective clinical studies that use highly innovative techniques to identify and classify patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis. In addition to innovative, partly hybrid imaging, tissue biopsies will be taken from inflamed tissue to provide information about the local inflammatory processes.

What long-term impacts do you envision of your contribution?

Even today, patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases are often diagnosed far too late. However, we know that it is crucial to be able to interrupt inflammatory processes as early as possible to prevent their chronicity and achieve remission. With modern imaging, diagnosis often succeeds earlier today. However, a high level of expertise is also required on the radiological side to assign the sometimes complex findings to specific clinical pictures. In this context, AI will play an essential role in early diagnosis, with AutoPiX making a significant contribution. Even after the diagnosis has been made, it is still often unclear which patients will suffer a rapidly progressive disease course and which will experience a milder course. In this area, we hope that the numerous projects in AutoPiX will make a significant contribution.

Why is it so important?

Thanks to improving therapeutic options, remission is being achieved more and more frequently today. However, it is often still unclear which patients require which therapy. In addition, as previously reported, the diagnosis must be made as early as possible to stop the disease. AutoPiX is one of the most critical initiatives in rheumatology that focuses precisely on this problem. We are proud to be part of it!