Sarah Sisbot

I'm a patient advocate who cares deeply about autoimmunity and cancer.

[Sarah Sisbot @SarahSisbot]

https://t.co/CEP77bjEGB

[Sarah Sisbot @SarahSisbot]

One rheumatoid arthritis study found that 66% of patients were positive for anti-yeast (ASCA) antibodies.

Yet ASCA is rarely discussed in rheumatology.

If ASCA antibodies are common in RA, why aren't we asking:

• Do they explain some "seronegative" disease?
• Are they present in synovial tissue?
• Do ASCA-positive patients respond differently to treatment?
• Could Crohn's therapies work better for some of these patients?

My latest article explores the evidence and the research gaps.

What am I missing?

[Sarah Sisbot @SarahSisbot]

My favorite #EULAR2026 abstract wasn't about a new drug.

It was about using synovial biopsies to choose the right drug.

Also on my highlight reel:
🧬 HLA-C*06:02 as a PsA biomarker
🦠 CAR-T for refractory RA

Precision rheumatology can't come soon enough.

New post: https://t.co/2JHT0VFHTM

[Sarah Sisbot @SarahSisbot]

Can patients contribute new ideas to rheumatology research?

This year I submitted a EULAR abstract proposing a new diagnostic structure for inflammatory arthritis inspired by psychiatry's HiTOP model. It was accepted for publication [and is now published on page 2408 of a 2500 page supplement, but as a patient researcher working outside academia, I am still very grateful].

I wrote about the experience of participating in academic medicine as an independent patient researcher:

https://t.co/BhwrLulqUp

#EULAR2026 #PatientResearch #Rheumatology

[Sarah Sisbot @SarahSisbot]

@AChVoice OUCH it is really disappointing that they asked you to be an advocate and still expected you to pay full price. Ughh :(

[Sarah Sisbot @SarahSisbot]

@AChVoice Really appreciate your support and amplification here. Thank you for the repost!!

[Sarah Sisbot @SarahSisbot]

Patient advocates currently pay full price to attend the American College of Rheumatology’s annual Convergence meeting.

If we truly value the patient voice in rheumatology, we should make it easier, not harder, for advocates to participate.

I wrote about why the ACR should create discounted registration for patient advocates: https://t.co/VJHNLm4udQ

#rheum #rheumatology #PatientAdvocacy

[Sarah Sisbot @SarahSisbot]

@ACRheum Would you consider discounting Convergence registration fees for patient advocates?

[Sarah Sisbot @SarahSisbot]

ADCs transformed triple-negative breast cancer by answering a simple question: How do we deliver very potent drugs only where they’re needed?

In TNBC, oncology embraced:
→ targeted payload delivery
→ local drug release
→ cell-specific killing

Meanwhile in rheumatology we still often rely on systemic immunosuppression:
• steroids everywhere
• methotrexate everywhere
• broad JAK inhibition

But autoimmune disease also has pathogenic cell populations: activated macrophages, autoreactive B cells, inflammatory fibroblasts, TNF-rich niches.

So why is oncology having an ADC boom while rheumatology barely discusses ADCs?

There are early hints: ABBV-3373 attempted targeted steroid delivery via an anti-TNF antibody linked to a glucocorticoid receptor modulator.

I wonder whether the future of autoimmune treatment is:
→ synovium-targeted payloads
→ macrophage-directed immunosuppression
→ cytokine-guided drug delivery
→ precision depletion of pathogenic immune subsets

My deep dive comparing TNBC and RA clinical trial ecosystems: https://t.co/2WkxQc7Z9P

#Biotech #Immunology #Rheumatology #Oncology #ADC #TNBC #DrugDevelopment

[Sarah Sisbot @SarahSisbot]

Endocrinology changed when Rosalyn Yalow made hormones measurable.

Rheumatology still mostly guesses at the immune system.

A few antibodies ≠ the system.

What happens when we measure it properly (e.g., RNA-seq)? https://t.co/vJ7bClGtsI

[Sarah Sisbot @SarahSisbot]

https://t.co/abbutTeMFA

[Sarah Sisbot @SarahSisbot]

HLA genotype may determine whether a tumor is immunologically visible or invisible, thereby modifying penetrance in hereditary cancer. Read my article summarizing the current research - link in comments.

[Sarah Sisbot @SarahSisbot]

@AChVoice Thank you for sharing this post - it was really beautifully written and describes an experience that is as disappointing as it is common :( For me this illustrates why we need to push for precision diagnostics in rheumatology (for rheum to partner with pathology)

[Sarah Sisbot @SarahSisbot]

Clinical trial endpoints are so important, so doesn't it matter that no one seems to use ACR20 outside of trials?? I have spent years looking at different ways to measure my (lack of) progress on various DMARDs and biologics. My phone finally suggested one that I ended up loving - daily step count. Thank you #AppleHealth! In my most recent blog post I discuss some reasons I don't love ACR20, other metrics I have tried, and why I personally like daily step count more than other metrics: https://t.co/njn67vtd4O. #autoimmune #autoinflammatory #rheumatology #chronicdisease

[Sarah Sisbot @SarahSisbot]

If you are a patient dealing with an autoimmune disease, how long did it take you to get diagnosed (if ever) and find a medication that helped (if ever)?

In my most recent post, I write about the history of and differences between autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases, and how these differences reinforce my belief that working with pathology to find disease drivers instead of inferring them largely from symptoms and antibody tests could help rheumatology patients.

https://t.co/uVweD3anJi

#autoimmune #autoinflammatory #rheumatology #chronicillness #chronicpain

[Sarah Sisbot @SarahSisbot]

Inspired by @ElliotHershberg’s piece on Sid Sijbrandij going “founder mode” on cancer https://t.co/v5EFTUE0My

As a patient with autoimmune disease, I’m trying to adopt the same mindset.

My thoughts here: https://t.co/LkFw7KDa4K