Chronic inflammation appears to be a contributing factor in a number of major diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). No preventive or curative treatment is yet available for RA or other chronic inflammatory diseases. We study experimental animal models with similar diseases to humans. These animal models allow us not only to identify the disease genes but also to study how they work. We will humanize the animal models so that we can directly study the genes identified in RA in an experimental model. Thus, we can also use these experimental animal models to investigate entirely new principles and new drugs to prevent and cure disease. We are concentrating on developing a) a new type of immune-specific vaccine against RA, b) a new type of diagnostic method where a large number of antibodies in serum can be simultaneously analyzed, c) a new type of treatment with oxidants developed on the basis of our genetic findings.