MT Group Autoimmune & Inflammatory Disease Biospecimen Program

The MT Group is pleased to announce its Autoimmune & Inflammatory Disease Biospecimen Program, which collects diverse patient populations across 50+ centers dedicated to the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Most of our centers are in community settings where these patients typically receive care, providing a targeted source of well-characterized annotated biospecimens for translational research.

Comprehensive Autoimmune Disease Biospecimens

Our sites collect biospecimens and clinical data from patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), psoriatic arthritis, atopic dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and many other autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. We have access to thousands of subjects, providing rheumatoid arthritis research samples, IBD biospecimens, psoriatic arthritis samples, lupus research samples, and specimens from numerous other conditions for biomarker discovery and therapeutic development.

MT Group provides blood, blood components, and tissue where indicated, comprehensive clinical annotation including treatment regimens, treatment response data, laboratory results, and comorbidities, plus longitudinal follow-up tracking disease progression and clinical outcomes. We also assist in study design and provide customized collection protocols as needed.

Autoimmune & Inflammatory Disease Biospecimen Availability

The table below represents a selection of recently collected conditions. Additional autoimmune and inflammatory diseases may be available—contact us to discuss your specific requirements.

Longitudinal Sample Collection for Treatment Response and Disease Progression

MT Group specializes in longitudinal sample collection that tracks patients throughout their treatment journey and disease course. Blood specimens can be collected at multiple timepoints—baseline, during treatment initiation, at regular intervals throughout therapy, and during long-term follow-up—enabling research into treatment response samples, biomarker evolution, and immune system changes over time. These serial collections support identification of predictive biomarkers, assessment of therapeutic efficacy, and understanding of disease progression patterns.

For select conditions, two-timepoint tissue collections are also feasible. Paired tissue specimens from baseline and post-treatment timepoints provide powerful datasets for understanding tissue-level therapeutic responses and disease state transitions.

Treatment Histories and Enrollment Considerations

Autoimmune and inflammatory disease patients are typically treated with a range of therapeutic agents including:

• Biologics: TNF inhibitors (adalimumab, infliximab, etanercept), IL-17 inhibitors (secukinumab, ixekizumab), IL-23 inhibitors (guselkumab, risankizumab), JAK inhibitors (tofacitinib, upadacitinib), and others
• Conventional systemics: Methotrexate, azathioprine, mycophenolate, cyclosporine
• Corticosteroids: Prednisone, methylprednisolone
• Topical therapies: Corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors

Treatment history can be incorporated into inclusion and exclusion criteria to define study populations—for example, requiring biologic-naïve subjects, subjects on stable background therapy, or subjects who have failed specific treatment classes. However, more restrictive treatment criteria will affect enrollment rates and timelines. 

Treatment washout periods are commonly employed in autoimmune disease biospecimen collections, where subjects discontinue medications for a specified period (typically 1-2 weeks for conventional systemics, longer for biologics with extended half-lives) before specimen collection. Washout collections are more feasible than enrolling treatment-naïve subjects, as newly diagnosed patients who have never received therapy are limited by new patient presentation rates at collection sites. MT Group works with sponsors during study design to balance scientific objectives—such as minimizing confounding effects of prior therapies—with enrollment feasibility to ensure realistic timelines and successful study completion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you provide longitudinal samples from the same patient across multiple timepoints?

Yes, MT Group specializes in longitudinal autoimmune disease sample collections tracking patients over time. Blood specimens may be collected at multiple timepoints such as baseline, during treatment initiation, at regular intervals throughout therapy (e.g., months 3, 6, 12), and during follow-up periods. For select conditions where patients undergo repeat procedures, two-timepoint tissue collections are feasible, such as paired baseline and post-treatment biopsies from the same patient. These longitudinal collections enable tracking of treatment response, biomarker evolution, and disease progression patterns over extended periods.

What is the typical timeline for a custom prospective autoimmune biospecimen collection?

Prospective autoimmune disease collections typically begin 2-4 weeks after receiving a purchase order. During this period, MT Group develops collection standard operating procedures, assembles study-specific material kits, and onboards collection sites. Nearly all collections fit under established umbrella IRB protocols, eliminating the need for additional approvals. Actual enrollment timelines depend on your specific eligibility criteria, disease severity requirements, and treatment washout specifications. MT Group conducts thorough feasibility assessments to provide realistic enrollment projections based on your study design.

Can you collect samples stratified by specific biologic treatments such as anti-TNF or JAK inhibitors?

Yes, autoimmune disease biospecimen collections can be stratified by specific therapeutic classes including anti-TNF biologics (adalimumab, infliximab, etanercept), JAK inhibitors (tofacitinib, upadacitinib), IL-17 inhibitors, IL-23 inhibitors, and other targeted therapies. Collections can enroll patients currently on specific treatments, patients who have failed particular drug classes, or treatment-naïve subjects. However, more restrictive treatment-based inclusion criteria will affect enrollment rates and timelines. MT Group works with you during study design to balance scientific objectives with enrollment feasibility.

Can you collect matched tissue and blood samples from autoimmune disease patients?

Yes, matched tissue and blood specimens are routinely collected during the same clinical visit for autoimmune disease research. This is particularly common in dermatologic studies where skin biopsies and blood draws occur during single dermatology appointments, and in gastrointestinal studies where intestinal biopsies obtained during endoscopy are paired with blood collection on the same day. This matched sampling approach enables direct tissue-systemic biomarker correlations and reduces subject burden by consolidating procedures into single visits.

We look forward to supporting your development of new therapeutic compounds, diagnostic and prognostic tests, as well as helping you assess current clinical practice for effective market development with our comprehensive autoimmune disease biospecimens and inflammatory bowel disease samples.