DocTIS granted six-month extension to complete its clinical trial in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases
The DocTIS project has entered a crucial stage in its work to improve treatments for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). Initially expected to conclude in December 2025, the initiative has received a six-month extension from the European Commission to ensure the full completion of its clinical trial and the analysis of its results.
DocTIS was launched with the objective of identifying combinations of existing medicines that could offer better outcomes for patients with six prevalent IMIDs: rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and systemic lupus erythematosus. These conditions affect millions of people and arise from an imbalance in the immune system that leads to persistent inflammation and progressive tissue damage.
Throughout the project, researchers have worked with high-quality biological samples and clinical information gathered through the IMID Consortium and stored at the IMID-Biobank at the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR). Using this material, the team generated large multi-omics molecular data and applied advanced computational methods to identify drug combinations with strong therapeutic synergism. Promising combinations were subsequently examined in preclinical models, which helped define the combinations selected for testing in patients.
The project is now focused on the clinical study being conducted in centres in the United Kingdom and Spain. The extension will allow the consortium to complete patient follow-up and final data assessments, ensuring that the study reaches the level of quality required to evaluate the approach developed by DocTIS.
Doctor Sara Marsal, head of the Rheumatology Service at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, principal investigator at VHIR and Coordinator of the project, explains: “This additional time will allow us to finalise the validation of DocTIS’ methodology. By identifying combinations of existing medicines that work together, we aim to offer new options to patients who do not benefit sufficiently from current treatments”.
The DocTIS consortium unites leading research and clinical institutions from Europe and the United States. Coordinated by the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute, VHIR, the partners include Cardiff University, the University of Verona, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Institut d’InvestigacionsBiomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, IDIBAPS, the National Center for Genomic Analysis,CNAG, IMIDomics Inc., HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and Zabala Innovation.
With the project extension now confirmed, DocTIS moves forward toward generating robust clinical evidence that may support more personalised and effective therapeutic strategies for IMID patients.
