Patient Registries

BRASS is a longitudinal prospective cohort study designed to improve our understanding genetic basis of rheumatoid arthritis. The purpose of Brigham and Women’s Hospital Rheumatoid Arthritis Sequential Study (BRASS) is to improve our understanding of how genetics can be used to help predict disease severity and response to drug treatments. The BRASS study has enrolled over 1,000 patients from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and collected data on variables from demographic, RA clinical data, medication use and adverse events, to emotional status, functional status.

The purpose of this repository is to provide collaborators within the Mass General Brigham system with a validated cohort of RA patients developed as part of the Informatics for Integrating Biology at the Bedside (i2b2) project. This resource provides investigators with a starting point to conduct RA related studies within the Research Patient Data Registry (RPDR) and/or through medical record review.

Since 1992, the medical records of all patients seen at BWH for potential SLE have ben reviewed and > 2400 cases of SLE have been validated according to the American College of Rheumatology Criteria for the Classification of SLE. These data are continually updated and have been employed for multiple clinical research studies.

The BWH Lupus Biobank, established in 2008, has enrolled > 300 subjects and samples of DNA, RNA, whole blood and serum are banked at Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. Data on demographics, family history (of autoimmune disease) past medical history, medications, SLEDAI disease activity and SLICC-DI organ damage scores are also collected. In addition to the BWH Lupus Center large patient population, there are a wealth of research and clinical SLE collaborators at BWH, an advanced electronic medical record system, and strong history of clinical and translational research in SLE. Click here to learn more.