Abstract
The Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) held its annual meeting in 2020 in an online format due to travel restrictions during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; caused by SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. The virtual meeting was attended by 351 rheumatologists, dermatologists, representatives of biopharmaceutical companies, and patient research partners. Similar to previous years, GRAPPA’s annual meeting focused on the 3 overlapping missions of education, research, and clinical care of psoriatic disease. Trainee sessions this year included the annual trainee symposium and a grant-writing workshop. Plenary sessions included updates on COVID-19 and psoriatic disease from multispecialty and patient perspectives, and updates on pustular psoriasis and associated musculoskeletal manifestations. Progress on research and updates were presented for the following groups: Collaborative Research Network, Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) Psoriatic Arthritis Working Group, International Dermatology Outcome Measures, Composite Measures, Education Committee, and Treatment Guidelines. New this year were 3 concurrent workshops on ultrasound assessment of joints and entheses, magnetic resonance imaging of psoriatic arthritis, and pustular psoriasis efficacy endpoints; 6 “Meet the Expert” sessions; and facilitated “poster tours.” In our prologue, we introduce the papers that summarize this meeting.
The 2020 annual meeting of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) was held over 3 days on a Web-based platform due to travel restrictions during the 2020 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; caused by SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. The virtual format allowed greater access for our international membership, with 351 rheumatologists, dermatologists, representatives of biopharmaceutical companies, and patient research partners. The online format was a mix of recorded content and live panel discussions with audience participation through the chat section, allowing for on-demand viewing. Currently, there are 1000 total GRAPPA members (n = 73 from North America and n = 145 from other countries), including investigators from rheumatology, dermatology (n = 487), other specialists (n = 71), patient research partners (n = 13), and representatives from corporate sponsors (n = 211). Reports of previous annual meetings have been published elsewhere.1-11
Keynote Lecture
The Collaborative Research Network held its fourth annual meeting prior to the main session, which included a keynote lecture on predicting treatment response based on lessons learned from biomarker research in rheumatoid arthritis, and several project updates on biomarker research.12
Plenary Sessions
A session on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on psoriatic patients was presented, which included a survey of patient concerns, telehealth experiences, and our colleagues’ experience of the COVID-19 crisis in New York in early 2020.13
The second plenary session included presentations on pustular psoriasis and its associated rheumatologic manifestations, including phenotypes of cutaneous pustular psoriasis, advances in understanding the role of interleukin-36 receptor antagonist mutations, current drug development and outcome measures for generalized and palmoplantar pustular psoriasis, and an overview of the musculoskeletal syndromes associated with pustulosis, primarily synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, and osteitis.14
Workshops
Five workshops were offered; 3 were held concurrently for rheumatologists and dermatologists to choose a session that most interested them, while 2 nonconcurrent workshops were offered (grant writing and psoriasis musculoskeletal International Dermatology Outcome Measures [IDEOM]).
The GRAPPA ultrasound committee held discussions on 3 topics: (1) the transition from psoriasis to psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and the role of ultrasound; (2) the effect of biomechanical forces on the entheses and insights for PsA pathogenesis; and (3) the differentiation of enthesitis from pain sensitization, and the use and limitations of clinical and sonographic evaluation of enthesitis.15
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) workshop, conducted on a separate interactive Web-based platform, was used to present case reports and discuss the role of whole-body MRI for psoriatic disease.16
The third palmoplantar pustulosis/generalized pustular psoriasis workshop was held to discuss efforts on classification and endpoint development as a follow-up to the pustular psoriasis symposium.13
Trainees also attended a grant-writing workshop covering best practice in giving presentations, understanding how grant reviews are performed, and how to write better grant proposals and career development awards.17
An IDEOM workshop on musculoskeletal symptoms of psoriasis was held wherein updates were made on the existing research on accurate and useful measures for pain and symptoms that could be used for clinical trials.18
Symposiums
The Trainees Symposium included oral presentations by rheumatology and dermatology research trainees. Of 39 submitted abstracts, 30 were selected for poster presentations, and the top 5 were selected for oral presentations.19 GRAPPA members received constructive chat comments throughout the virtual session. A virtual guided poster tour was also held, where GRAPPA experts facilitated discussions with trainees after short abstract presentations.
Research Updates
The development and assessment of composite measures is also a core activity of GRAPPA. Two separate sessions covering composite measures were held this year. The first provided an update on adding pain and fatigue components to various composite measures,20 and the second tested shortened versions of composite measures to use in clinical practice.21
The GRAPPA-Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) PsA working group provided a summary of their progress in developing a Core Outcome Set for PsA.22 Working groups have been set up for the 4 prioritized domains: enthesitis, fatigue, structural damage, and physical function. Two instruments for measurement of physical function were provisionally endorsed: the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index and the physical functioning domain in Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form Survey.
The development of treatment recommendations for patients with PsA has been an important mission for GRAPPA. In 2019, efforts began to update the 2015 recommendations. The planned methodology for this update was published previously, and an update on progress, including details of the systematic literature searches, was given.23 GRAPPA is currently finalizing domain-specific recommendations with an aim to produce updated treatment recommendations for publication in 2021.
The meeting also included updates on several ongoing research and educational efforts. Among them were updates from 2 of the 2019 grant award recipients,24 updates on axial disease and ultrasound for enthesitis projects,25 a report from the GRAPPA patient research partners,26 and a summary of GRAPPA’s many educational activities.27
Interactive Sessions
Six “Meet the Expert” breakout sessions were held virtually to provide smaller group discussions on “hot topics” with GRAPPA experts.
Close of Meeting
The annual meeting concluded with announcements of the 2020 research award recipients, steering committee elections, and a tribute to Luis Espinoza, longtime GRAPPA member and esteemed rheumatologist, who died earlier this year.
Although our meeting attendees voiced that they preferred a live format, 86% of those who responded to our meeting survey felt that it was “very good” or “excellent.” It is our hope that we will be able to hold our 2021 annual meeting as a live or hybrid event in Dublin, Ireland.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Special thanks go to Sharon Andrews, Executive Director of GRAPPA, for her tireless organizational efforts, which kept the meeting running smoothly.
Footnotes
As part of the supplement series GRAPPA 2020, this report was reviewed internally and approved by the Guest Editors for integrity, accuracy, and consistency with scientific and ethical standards.
The source of support to enable these meetings was provided in 2020 by AbbVie, Amgen, Eli Lilly & Co., Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB, Bristol Myers Squibb, Gilead, Boehringer-Ingelheim, and SunPharma. In addition, our Innovation Partner in 2020 was Nordic Bioscience.
KCD reports the following conflicts of interest: grants/investigator for Amgen, AbbVie, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Stiefel, Novartis, Pfizer, Sienna, UCB, Regeneron, Boehringer-Ingelheim; speaker’s bureau for Novartis (nonpromotional only); consultant/advisory board for Amgen, AbbVie, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Stiefel, Novartis, Pfizer, Sienna, UCB, Ortho Dermatologic, Boehringer-Ingelheim. There are no conflicts of interest for all other coauthors.
- Copyright © 2021 by The Journal of Rheumatology
