Webinars - ECM Congress

Fibroblast Activity and Tissue Destruction in Autoimmune Diseases: Understanding Tissue Activity and Its Implications for Drug Development

Fibrogenesis, fibroblast activity and tissue destruction and its relevance in autoimmunity, PsA, RA, SSc and lupus

September 30, 2026

The body continuously regenerates, which inherently means that tissue is constantly being broken down and formed. In autoimmune diseases we usually focus on inflammation and immune activity, but inflammation is what starts the process, not what causes the lasting harm. The damage comes when that balance tips, fibroblasts become activated, and cartilage, bone, and connective tissue are broken down faster than the body can repair them.

Join us to explore how evaluating tissue activity reveals what is actively happening in the disease biology, whether a treatment is truly working, and how these insights can support the development of better therapies in autoimmunity, PsA, RA, SSc and lupus.

Agenda

Introduction and welcome & Myth busting with Unicorn biomarkers | Prof. Dr. Morten Karsdal
When inflammation isn’t enough: Synovial Tissue Fibrosis as a Driver of Treatment-Refractory RA | Dr. Kevin Wei
From tissue biology to clinical application: how fibrogenesis and tissue destruction markers are used for prognosis, pharmacodynamics and prediction in RA, PsA and SSc | Dr. Anne-Christine Bay-Jensen
Fibrosis and inflammation of the Skin and Lung in Systemic Sclerosis: Tracking tissue remodeling, progression and treatment response with biomarkers | Prof. Dr. Shervin Assassi
Q&A

Scientific topics

Autoimmune diseases are commonly viewed through the lens of inflammation and immune activity. However, inflammation represents only part of the underlying disease biology. Fibroblast activation, extracellular matrix remodeling, and ongoing tissue destruction can provide complementary information about what is happening within affected tissues and how disease activity changes during treatment.

In psoriatic arthritis, tissue turnover biomarkers offer a way to investigate structural and connective tissue activity alongside traditional measures of inflammation. Understanding these processes may help distinguish different aspects of disease activity, monitor the biological effects of treatment, and provide additional insight into therapeutic response.

Rheumatoid arthritis is likewise characterized by substantial heterogeneity within the synovium. Distinct synovial pathotypes, including fibroblast-rich or fibroid phenotypes, point to disease mechanisms that may not be adequately described by inflammatory activity alone. Emerging research into fibroblast states, synovial organization, and the regulation of fibrogenesis is therefore changing how we understand persistent disease and differences in treatment response.

Across systemic sclerosis, lupus, and autoimmunity more broadly, the same principle applies. Many different disease pathways end up driving the same core process: the breakdown and rebuilding of tissue. This means disease activity can be understood as the balance between how much tissue is being destroyed and how much is being formed. The protein fragments released when tissue breaks down give us the most direct way to measure that balance.

By bringing together perspectives on biomarkers, synovial pathobiology, and fibrogenesis, this webinar will examine how measuring tissue activity—not only inflammation—could improve patient characterization, pharmacodynamic assessment, and ultimately drug development in rheumatology.

Registration is free

Speakers

Dr. Kevin Wei

- Dr. Kevin Wei is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a rheumatologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
- His research focuses on identifying novel cellular and molecular therapeutic targets in inflammatory diseases using single-cell technologies.
- Dr. Wei is a member of the NIH Accelerating Medicines Partnership in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (AMP-RA/SLE) consortium.
- Within the consortium, he leads the implementation of single-cell technologies to study rheumatoid arthritis joint tissues.
- He is Co-Director of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Center for Cell Profiling Single Cell Multiomics Core.
- Dr. Wei also serves as Associate Director of the Harvard Medical School/BWH Joint Biology Consortium Cellular Systems Core.
- His work applies advanced cellular profiling and multiomics approaches to better understand disease mechanisms and tissue-specific cellular states in rheumatic diseases.
- He has received research awards from the Rheumatology Research Foundation, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Harvard Catalyst, and the BWH Department of Medicine.
- Dr. Wei earned his BS in Biology from Duke University and his MD and PhD from Stanford University School of Medicine.
- He completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and also serves on the advisory board of STAR Protocols.

Prof. Dr. Shervin Assassi

- Dr. Shervin Assassi is Professor of Medicine and Director of the Division of Rheumatology at UTHealth Houston’s McGovern Medical School.
- He is Co-Director of the Scleroderma Program, which includes one of the largest specialized scleroderma clinics in the United States.
- His research focuses on systemic sclerosis (scleroderma), integrating clinical features with genetic and gene-expression data to better understand disease mechanisms.
- Dr. Assassi’s laboratory aims to identify novel therapeutic targets and clinically useful biomarkers for systemic sclerosis.
- His translational research combines primary human samples with experimental models of fibrosis to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the disease.
- He is a leader of the Scleroderma Research Foundation-funded CONQUER Registry, serving as Chair of its Executive Committee and Director of the CONQUER Biorepository.
- Dr. Assassi has co-authored more than 220 peer-reviewed publications in systemic sclerosis, fibrosis, biomarkers, and related areas.
- His research program is supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Scleroderma Research Foundation, and industry collaborations.
- He holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Research and additional academic appointments in biomedical informatics and biomedical sciences.
- Alongside his research and clinical leadership, Dr. Assassi contributes to translational research education and holds leadership positions in professional rheumatology organizations and multicenter research consortia.

Dr. Anne-Christine Bay-Jensen

*Subject to change

- Dr. Anne-Christine Bay-Jensen is Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Director of ImmunoScience at Nordic Bioscience, where she has worked since 2008.
- She joined Nordic Bioscience as a postdoctoral researcher and has since progressed into senior scientific and technology leadership roles.
- Her research focuses on the development of novel biomarkers for rheumatic and immune-mediated diseases, with approximately two decades of experience in the field.
- Dr. Bay-Jensen’s work uses biomarkers to characterize disease activity, tissue remodeling, and treatment response, supporting the development of precision medicine approaches.
- Her research has a strong focus on osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, including disease mechanisms, patient stratification, and therapeutic evaluation.
- Her scientific work also spans spondyloarthritis, systemic sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, inflammatory mediators, pharmacology, and immunology.
- A central theme of her research is understanding how changes in tissues and the extracellular matrix (ECM) can provide measurable insights into chronic inflammatory and connective tissue diseases.
- As CTO, she combines scientific leadership with the development and translation of biomarker technologies for use in preclinical research and clinical drug development.
- Dr. Bay-Jensen has an h-index of 66, i10-index of 229, and more than 13,600 citations as of September 2026.
- Her work bridges biomarker discovery, disease biology, and clinical translation to improve the characterization and treatment of rheumatic and inflammatory diseases.

The ECM Pharmacology Symposium Series is a close collaboration with our industry sponsor Nordic Bioscience.