Towards molecular-pathology informed clinical trials in childhood arthritis to achieve precision medicine in juvenile idiopathic arthritis

In childhood arthritis, collectively known as Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), the rapid rise of available licensed biological and targeted small molecule treatments in recent years has led to improved outcomes. However, real-world data from multiple countries and registries show that despite a large number of available drugs, many children and young people continue to suffer flares and experience significant periods of time with active disease for many years. More than 50% of young people with JIA require ongoing immune suppression well into adult life, and they may have to try multiple different treatments in that time. There are currently no validated tools with which to select specific treatments, nor biomarkers of response to assist in such choices, therefore, current management uses essentially a trial-and-error approach. A further consequence of recent progress is a reducing pool of available children or young people who are eligible for new trials. In this review we consider how progress towards a molecular based approach to defining treatment targets and informing trial design in JIA, combined with novel approaches to clinical trials, could provide strategies to maximise discovery and progress, in order to move towards precision medicine for children with arthritis.