Synovitis--an inflammation of joints destroying the bone.

This article is to share some of the key scientific insights made by Dr Barry Bresnihan in rheumatoid arthritis. Dr Bresnihan elaborated new and visionary concepts in arthritis research, which still influence current thinking. He had been particularly dedicated to investigate the inflammatory tissue (synovitis) in RA, which he considered as a clue to understand the pathogenesis of this disease. He thereby pioneered the concept of synovial biopsy as a technique, which allows to directly analyse synovitis and has stimulated many other rheumatologists in joining his efforts. He was also dedicated to understand why synovitis triggers bone destruction in joints and started to work on defining the molecular interactions between inflammation and the bone. This article picks up some of the major insights achieved by Dr Bresnihan's work and how these findings influenced today's understanding of arthritis.