Chronic Disease Day 2026: What We Are Learning from Studying Immune-Mediated Diseases Together

Every year on 10 July, Chronic Disease Day highlights the importance of advancing research to improve the lives of millions of people living with chronic conditions. 3TR contributes to this effort by studying seven autoimmune, inflammatory and allergic diseases together to identify the shared molecular pathways that drive disease and influence treatment response.

To mark the occasion, we spoke with the researchers leading 3TR's cross-disease activities: Lorenzo Beretta, clinical immunologist at the Policlinico of Milan; Ioannis Parodis, senior consultant rheumatologist and associate professor of rheumatology at Karolinska Institutet; and Frédéric Baribaud, 3TR scientific advisor. In this interview, they discuss the project's unique approach, the key lessons emerging from this collaborative research, and how these findings could shape the future of diagnosis, treatment and care for people living with immune-mediated diseases.

Most research has traditionally focused on one disease at a time. Why did 3TR choose to take a cross-disease approach instead?

The foundational vision of the 3TR consortium, from its earliest conception and co creation, was to break away from the traditional siloed approach to studying immune mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). Historically, each condition, whether autoimmune, allergic, or inflammatory, has been investigated in isolation, limiting our ability to understand their shared mechanisms, divergent pathways, and the biological logic that connects them. 3TR set out to change that paradigm. By bringing together multiple IMIDs within one coordinated, large scale research framework, the project created an unprecedented opportunity to examine these diseases side by side, using harmonized methodologies, shared datasets, and integrated analytical strategies.

This scale and level of cross disease integration had never been attempted before. It enables researchers to compare and contrast disease trajectories, immune signatures, treatment responses, and patient heterogeneity across conditions that are often clinically distinct but mechanistically intertwined. In doing so, 3TR provides a unique platform to uncover common therapeutic targets, identify disease specific vulnerabilities, and generate insights that would be invisible within single disease studies. Ultimately, this multi disease perspective is one of the consortium’s most transformative contributions, reshaping how we understand and approach immune mediated inflammatory disorders.

What have been the most important lessons from studying immune-mediated diseases together so far?

Given its unprecedented ambition to study multiple IMIDs within a single integrated framework, 3TR has had to confront the complex challenge of determining how best to compare and contrast findings across diseases. This spans every level of inquiry, from the patient experience, such as defining shared concepts like pain, fatigue, or flare, to the biological domain, where researchers aim to identify, quantify, and contextualize the mechanisms that drive disease across distinct immune pathologies. A central difficulty lies in the inherent diversity of patients within each IMID. Symptoms manifest differently, disease trajectories vary widely, and biological signatures can diverge even within a single diagnosis. Extending this variability across all IMIDs studied in 3TR amplifies the complexity but also enriches the scientific opportunity. Developing frameworks that can accommodate this diversity, while still enabling meaningful cross disease comparisons, has required new methodological creativity and collaborative problem solving.

Importantly, these challenges have catalyzed a unique form of interdisciplinary engagement. Patients, clinicians, and researchers who traditionally focus on one disease area have been brought into shared conversations, co designing approaches and collectively navigating the conceptual and analytical hurdles of multi IMID research. This collaborative environment has not only strengthened the scientific rigor of 3TR but has also fostered a sense of innovation and community, turning complexity into a powerful driver of discovery.

What could these insights mean for people living with immune-mediated diseases?

The distinctive cross disease strategy embraced by and embedded in 3TR is laying a new foundation for how immune mediated inflammatory diseases are understood. By examining multiple IMIDs within a unified scientific framework, the consortium is generating insights that move beyond traditional, disease specific boundaries. This integrated perspective offers physicians and researchers a richer, more connected understanding of immune dysregulation, one that highlights shared pathways, overlapping symptom burdens, and common biological drivers that were previously obscured by siloed research approaches.

In turn, these advances hold meaningful promise for people living with IMIDs. The scientific initiatives within 3TR are opening new avenues for earlier diagnosis, more precise monitoring, and treatments that target mechanisms relevant across diseases rather than focusing narrowly on single conditions. This broader lens has the potential to improve care for individuals whose experiences often transcend diagnostic labels, especially those who face chronic pain, fatigue, flares, and the daily uncertainty that accompanies immune driven illness.

Equally important, 3TR is fostering a sense of community among patients across different IMIDs. By demonstrating that these conditions, long considered distinct and unrelated, share substantial commonalities, the project highlights the collective challenges faced by people living with chronic immune mediated diseases. This shared space encourages solidarity, amplifies patient voices, and reinforces the idea that cross disease research is not only scientifically powerful but also deeply human in its impact.

Looking ahead, what are you most excited to discover next?

3TR has established a powerful foundation for cross IMID research, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy of knowledge, experience, and data. The scale, depth, and harmonization of the information generated across diseases will fuel scientific discovery for years to come, offering researchers from multiple disciplines an unprecedented resource to explore shared mechanisms, divergent pathways, and the complexity of immune mediated inflammation.

Beyond its scientific impact, 3TR provides clinicians with actionable insights that can support their daily efforts to care for people living with IMIDs. The integrated datasets and cross disease analyses within the consortium help illuminate patterns that are often difficult to see in routine clinical practice, ultimately contributing to more informed decision making and more personalized approaches to treatment.

For patients, the value of 3TR extends even further. The project demonstrates that the challenges posed by IMIDs, whether physical, emotional, or social, are recognized, taken seriously, and actively investigated by a broad community of physicians, biologists, data scientists, and patient partners. This collective effort underscores that their experiences are not isolated and that meaningful progress is being pursued with dedication and urgency. In this way, 3TR not only advances science but also strengthens trust, hope, and connection. It shows patients that their conditions share important commonalities and that a diverse community is working tirelessly to deliver the relief and understanding they deserve.