I am a PhD student at Keele University, in the Rheumatology Research department based at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, Oswestry. I study Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA), a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease characterised by widespread musculoskeletal inflammation, which affects approximately 30% of patients with psoriasis. Currently, PsA patients are treated with Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory drugs (NSAID) used as first approach for topical therapy for psoriasis and to reduce pain. The next step is the administration of Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) alone, and then in combination. Finally, biologic drugs such as Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF$\alpha$) inhibitors or Interleukin-17 (IL-17) inhibitors are administered if patients fail to respond NSAID and DMARDs. Nevertheless, about 40% of PsA patients only partially respond or fail to respond to biologic treatments.

I am working on a clinical project in order to find biomarkers that will predict if PsA patients will respond or will not respond to anti-TNF$\alpha$ treatment. The main objectives of my work are:

• Find biomarkers in literature research that could predict the response of patients to TNF$\alpha$ inhibitors;
• Get the consent of patients with PsA in order to collect a blood sample before and after treatment;
• Verify if biomarkers found in literature research can predict patient response in the blood samples.