Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP
Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP
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4D Clinic

Immune diseases have a variety of different clinical manifestations and as systemic diseases often affect several organ systems at the same time. A good two-thirds of all immune-mediated diseases can be assigned to the fields of rheumatology, dermatology or gastroenterology, with many immune diseases having symptoms from all three disciplines occurring simultaneously. A multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach is therefore essential for the optimal care of patients with immune diseases, as well as for optimal scientific research into specific disease-determining characteristics.

This is difficult to implement in clinical routine, as patient care is assigned to different specialist departments. In the concept of the 4D clinic, the required interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach is now to be implemented in a unique manner.

By building a transdisciplinary team that combines scientific and medical experts from various disciplines (rheumatology, dermatology and gastroenterology), interdisciplinary patient care is ensured and combined with scientific excellence. This enables integrated scientific approaches to better describe the indications, leading to an optimization of patient care, with permanent focus on the patient.

 

Core competencies:

  • Access to patient groups from the indication fields of immune diseases in rheumatology, dermatology, gastroenterology
  • Standardized clinical characterization of the patient population
  • Detection of the disease phenotype (clinical parameters, serological biomarkers, imaging)
  • Direct interface to the 4D (drugs, devices, data, diagnostics)
  • Research close to the patient population
  • Trans-sectional team for the supply and research of the examined fields of indication
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The 4D Clinic offers the direct interface for the care of patients from the indication areas of immune diseases from the areas of rheumatology / immunology, dermatology and gastroenterology. Research projects with an analytical and clinical focus can be initiated and carried out through the combination of clinical care and translational research based on the 4D expertise of Fraunhofer, taking into account drugs, devices, data and diagnostics.

PANORA

Clinical study project in cooperation with the Institute for General Practice to improve the early rheumatological work-up of patients with positive detection of antiCCP antibodies in the rapid test and newly emerged unspecific musculoskeletal complaints via the general practitioner.

Partner: Institute for General Practice, Goethe University Frankfurt

Early arthritis detection

Clinical research project as part of the Fraunhofer CIMD for the detection of biomarkers for the early diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis in the risk group. In addition to the clinical evaluation, imaging parameters and serological markers for early diagnosis are assessed.

Partners: Fraunhofer IAIS, IGD, IZI, ITEM, FIT

Additional information

AcceleRAte

Controlled, open, parallel group study (according to AMG) in the indication of active rheumatoid arthritis to demonstrate the superiority of therapy using a JAK inhibitor (compared to a TNF alpha-inhibiting therapy) in the proportion of patients who experience early pain reduction (as measured by the proportion of patients who can stop controlled celecoxib treatment at week 12 and who experience clinically relevant pain relief).

Eder L, Mathew AJ, Carron P, Bertheussen H, Cañete JD, Azem M, Delle Sedie A, Salvarani C, Ranza R, Elliott A, Turkiewicz A, de Toledo RA, Bukulmez H, Stoenoiu MS, Mandelin AM 2nd, Koehm M, Lindsay CA, Siegel E, Mease PJ
Management of Enthesitis in Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis: An Updated Literature Review Informing the 2021 GRAPPA Treatment Recommendations.
J Rheumatol. 2023 Feb;50(2):258-264
doi: 10.3899/jrheum.220312

 

Gurke R, Bendes A, Bowes J, Koehm M, Twyman RM, Barton A, Elewaut D, Goodyear C, Hahnefeld L, Hillenbrand R, Hunter E, Ibberson M, Ioannidis V, Kugler S, Lories RJ, Resch E, Rüping S, Scholich K, Schwenk JM, Waddington JC, Whitfield P, Geisslinger G, FitzGerald O, Behrens F, Pennington SR; HIPPOCRATES Consortium
Omics and Multi-Omics Analysis for the Early Identification and Improved Outcome of Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis.
Biomedicines 2022 Sep 24;10(10):2387
doi: 10.3390/biomedicines10102387

 

Koehm M, Behrens F
Association between biological immunotherapy for psoriasis and time to incident inflammatory arthritis: limitations and opportunities.
RMD Open. 2023 Sep;9(3):e003166
doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2023-003166

 

Ohrndorf S, Krusche M, Baraliakos X, Feist E, Gundelach B, Haase I, Hoyer BF, Kiltz U, Koehm M, Voormann AJ, Sewerin P, Mucke J; Commission for ‘Gender Equity in Rheumatology’ from the German Society for Rheumatology
'Status Quo' on Different Aspects of Gender Distribution in Rheumatology in Germany-Results from a Nationwide Online Survey among Physicians.
J Clin Med. 2023 Jun 27;12(13):4328
doi: 10.3390/jcm12134328

 

Coyle C, Watson L, Whately-Smith C, Brooke M, Kiltz U, Lubrano E, Queiro R, Trigos D, Brandt-Juergens J, Choy E, D'Angelo S, Delle Sedie A, Dernis E, Wirth T, Guis S, Helliwell P, Ho P, Hueber A, Joven B, Koehm M, Morales CM, Packham J, Pinto Tasende JA, Ramírez J, Ruyssen-Witrand A, Scrivo R, Twigg S, Welcker M, Soubrier M, Gossec L, Coates LC
How do patient-reported outcome measures affect treatment intensification and patient satisfaction in the management of psoriatic arthritis? A cross sectional study of 503 patients.
Rheumatology (Oxford). 2025 Jan 1;64(1):242-251
doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kead679