While anti-TNFα has been established as an effective therapeutic approach for several autoimmune diseases, results from clinical trials have uncovered heterogeneous patients’ response to therapy. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis on the publicly available gene expression cDNA microarray datasets that examine the differential expression observed in response to anti-TNFα therapy with psoriasis (PsO), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Five disease-specific meta-analyses and a single combined random-effects meta-analysis were performed through the restricted maximum likelihood method. Gene Ontology and Reactome Pathways enrichment analyses were conducted, while interactions between differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were determined with the STRING database. Four IBD, three PsO and two RA datasets were identified and included in our analyses through our search criteria. Disease-specific meta-analyses detected distinct pro-inflammatory down-regulated DEGs for each disease, while pathway analyses identified common inflammatory patterns involved in the pathogenesis of each disease. Combined meta-analyses further revealed DEGs that participate in anti-inflammatory pathways, namely IL-10 signaling. Our analyses provide the framework for a transcriptomic approach in response to anti-TNFα therapy in the above diseases. Elucidation of the complex interactions involved in such multifactorial phenotypes could identify key molecular targets implicated in the pathogenesis of IBD, PsO and RA.

The emergence of high-throughput approaches has had a profound impact on personalized medicine, evolving the identification of inheritable variation to trajectory analyses of transient states and paving the way for the unveiling of response biomarkers. The utilization of the multi-layered pharmaco-omics data, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and relevant biological information, has facilitated the identification of key molecular biomarkers that can predict the response to therapy, thereby optimizing treatment regiments and providing the framework for a tailored treatment plan. Despite the availability of multiple therapeutic options for chronic diseases, the highly heterogeneous clinical response hinders the alleviation of disease signals and exacerbates the annual burden and cost of hospitalization and drug regimens. This review aimed to examine the current state of the pharmaco-omic approaches performed in psoriasis, a common inflammatory disease of the skin. We sought to identify central studies that investigate the inter-individual variability and explore the underlying molecular mechanisms of drug response progression via biological profiling in psoriatic patients administered with the extended therapeutic armamentarium of psoriasis, incorporating conventional therapies, small molecules, as well as biological drugs that inhibit central pathogenic cytokines involved in the disease pathogenesis.