Proceedings from the 4th NextGen Therapies for SJIA and MAS virtual symposium held February 13–14, 2022.

The article discusses the proceedings of the 4th NextGen Therapies for SJIA and MAS virtual symposium, which aimed to identify barriers to clinical research and develop new strategies for refractory Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (SJIA) and Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS). SJIA is a severe subtype of chronic childhood arthropathy characterized by systemic immune activation, while MAS is a potentially fatal episode of systemic hyperinflammation. The symposium focused on the development of new therapies for SJIA-associated lung disease (SJIA-LD) and MAS, as well as alternative designs for clinical trials and the use of biomarkers for treatment response. The article also highlights the need for improved outcome measures that capture the systemic component of SJIA, particularly the lung disease. [Extracted from the article]