Kevin D. Deane MD, PhD

Dr. Deane is also the Principal Investigator on an NIH-sponsored clinical trial for the prevention of RA that is entitled ‘Strategy for the Prevention of RA, or ‘StopRA’. For this trial, individuals (including relatives of patients with RA) will be recruited who have blood markers suggesting they are at high-risk of developing RA themselves within several years. These individuals will then be given a drug to see if RA can be stopped before even the first signs of arthritis develop. Dr. Deane and his team have great hope that this trial will be a large part of a major change in how we approach RA and other autoimmune diseases where instead of just treating these diseases once people become sick, we will instead try and prevent them during an asymptomatic phase. This would be much like how cardiac disease is managed today where risk factors for disease such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes are controlled in order to prevent future heart attacks.