New perspectives on rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains one of the most common, puzzling and poorly treated diseases of humans. However, a surge of interest in the biology of chronic inflammation and in the design of more-potent and specific inhibitors of pro-inflammatory pathways heralds an optimistic era for the treatment of RA. A recent symposium provided a multidisciplinary perspective on the current status of such studies.