In the last years, the figure of the rheumatologist has deeply changed evolving towards a polyhedric health professional characterized by a mechanistic approach to rheumatic conditions in order to dissect the multifaced cellular and molecular networks underlying the diseases.
To analyze each aspect of the rheumatic diseases, several subspecialities have emerged covering main fields of research that include Immunology, Genetics, Anatomy, Imaging, Clinical assessment and Therapeutics.
This mosaicism of highly specific skills, coupled with the impressive evolution of technical equipment, has unraveled new pathomechanisms related to inflammatory pathways occurring in different biological niches involved in disease development and maintenance. The multisystemic nature of immune-mediated diseases, such as inflammatory arthritis and connective tissue diseases, deserve a new perspective that has to include previously uncovered topics. As examples, new cellular subsets and cytokines from immunological study have revealed possible future disease targets as well as genetics, with the implementation of spatial transcriptomics, has changed the architectural landscape of inflammatory tissues. In addition, despite being considered old disciplines, anatomy and histology are now focusing new structures which take part in the disease course. The clinical counterpart of such discoveries is mirrored by imaging studies that are making visible the invisible, and new clinimetric perspectives that are leading to a more precise patient stratification and assessment. The final goal is the pursuit of a tailored approach involving the latest therapeutic strategies to rewrite treatment algorithms.
Rheumatologists experienced in each described domain, coming from different countries, will meet in this 3 days congress to share upcoming novelties and create new cooperation networks aiming to orchestrate the rheumatology research agenda of the next future. The dissection of knowledge will then be redraft to solve the puzzling overview represented by rheumatic conditions with the objective of granting a better care of rheumatic patients.