Targeting Inflammation: The Emerging Role of JAK Inhibitors in Inflammatory Disease Pharmacotherapy

Janus Kinase inhibitors (JAKis) are approved for the management of several chronic inflammatory diseases, from rheumatic conditions, to dermatological and gastrointestinal diseases, serving as key pharmacological options in the management of systemic inflammation. Since their approval, their role in inflammatory diseases pharmacotherapy has been questioned, and new repositioning took place following 2023 EMA suggestions to minimize the risk of serious side effects, including cardiovascular events and neoplasms, reserving these drugs to patients difficult to treat or in absence of specific risk factors. The balance between efficacy and safety of JAKis remains a difficult goal to achieve, and increasing the knowledge on how these drugs are able to target inflammation and pain while minimizing the risk of blood clots could substantially modify treatment schedules, informing disease management recommendations.

The goal of this Research Topic is to increase the knowledge on the systemic effects of JAKis. Starting from the mechanistic role of JAKis in different target organs or apparatus, this topic will explore JAKis mechanism of action and its consequence on chronic inflammation, pain, and cardiovascular and neoplasm events. Assessing the consequences of drugs repositioning in treatment schedules will help informing on JAKis pharmacoepidemiology, with up-to-date information on efficacy and safety in difficult to treat populations. Moreover, given the availability of several JAKis with different spectrum of selectivity for JAK proteins, clinical data will inform on whether selected JAKis can present or not a more favourable efficacy/safety profile.

This Research Topic will accept original articles, systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses, as well as narrative reviews assessing the effects of JAKis on chronic inflammation, thus covering several topics like mechanistic effects of JAKis, included but not limited to in vitro/ex vivo studies exploring inflammation reduction, pain interception mechanisms, and cardiovascular/neoplasms safety. Moreover, clinical studies assessing the effects of drug repositioning following 2023 EMA suggestions in the context of rheumatic autoimmune, dermatological and gastrointestinal diseases will be evaluated, in parallel with pharmacoeconomic and safety researches. Besides, studies exploring the effects of different JAKis with expected different selectivity profiles will be assessed, as well. This will help inform new treatment schedules modifications, proving advantages for patients who could benefit from JAKis treatment. Ettore Silvagni has received research support from AbbVie and Lilly and consulting/speaker’s fees from AbbVie, Alfa-Sigma, Lilly, Novartis, UCB.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: JAK inhibitors, Chronic inflammation, JAK/STAT Signalling, Inflammatory Diseases, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Cardiovascular Safety

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