Although rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects more than 18 million people worldwide, most people are diagnosed when the disease is already at a chronic stage. No drugs are currently approved to intervene in the early stages of arthritis, before the onset of joint inflammation. The RTCure project developed and validated new methods to identify those at risk of RA and monitor disease progression, as well as investigating how to inhibit or modify the pathogenic autoimmune responses underlying RA, an approach that could result in a specific and long-lasting therapeutic effect (ultimately a cure) for a majority of RA patients. The project also created tools to aid in the development of treatments for people in the earliest stages of rheumatoid arthritis and those at risk of developing it, and furthered understanding of the disease phase prior to RA diagnosis. RT Cure’s results indicated that the prevention of rheumatoid arthritis is possible – join us for In conversation with RT Cure to find out how.