2025 Rheumatology Conference Highlights 

By Jill Tyrer | Nov. 24, 2025 

Surprising findings about promising new treatments, weight-loss drugs and the promise and worries about artificial intelligence were some of the hot topics at the 2025 American College of Rheumatology’s annual scientific conference, Convergence. It drew doctors, scientists, patients, drug makers and others in the rheumatology world to Chicago from around the globe in late October. The Arthritis Foundation was there, too, sharing how we’re supporting research and care for people with arthritis, gathering insights and listening to what’s making waves in rheumatology right now. 

Promising New Treatment 

One of the most exciting topics at this year’s Convergence is a potential treatment using “chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells” that could potentially eliminate ongoing drug treatments for autoimmune diseases. This approach tweaks a person’s own T cells to target the B cells that cause the immune system to malfunction. Without the destructive B cells, the immune system “resets” so it functions as it’s supposed to. CAR-T cell therapy is currently being used for certain types of cancer. It is being studied for lupus, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other autoimmune diseases. It could be a gamechanger for people living with these diseases, but the cost is also a factor — it is as much as a half-million dollars just for the drug, according to a journal on cancer research. 

GLP-1 Drugs 

Lots of discussions again this year focused on the weight-loss drugs, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (like Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro). These drugs, approved to manage blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, have become very popular for weight loss. Some studies presented at Convergence suggest that they also help reduce cardiovascular risks in people with osteoarthritis or psoriatic arthritis, as well as kidney disease and heart attack risks in people with lupus nephritis. 

Some have been concerned that the drugs could increase the risk of developing autoimmunity. However, at least one meta-analysis found that they do not seem to raise that risk, and they might even lower it. GLP-1 receptor agonists help people lose excess weight that worsens joint issues. Plus, although more studies are needed, they might also have other effects on autoimmune diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and others.  

Artificial Intelligence 

The pros and cons of artificial intelligence (AI) were another popular topic at this year’s Convergence. AI isn’t ready to replace humans, but it does promise to improve health care, from diagnosis of rheumatic conditions, including RA, to office operations.  

David Liew, MBBS, FRACP, a radiologist and clinical pharmacologist with Austin Health in Melbourne, Australia, discussed the potential for AI in reading and interpreting images, specifically in interstitial lung disease, a dangerous comorbidity of RA and other rheumatic diseases. AI can help identify subtypes of this disease as well as help manage it, he said.  

In “The Great AI Debate: Unlocking Potential or Unleashing Chaos?” Jeffrey Curtis, MD, MS, MPH, professor of medicine in the Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, discussed how AI can help physicians with time-consuming, repetitive tasks that don’t require a lot of thought, like writing prior authorizations for insurance or handling administrative office tasks. It can also help with more complex tasks, like processing lots of a patient’s health information that could help predict how their disease will progress, and therefore what treatment might be most effective. 

But AI needs to be used carefully, responded Jinoos Yazdany, MD, MPH, chief of the Division of Rheumatology at UCSF San Francisco General Hospital. AI is only as good as the data used to inform it, she said. For example, clinical trials often included primarily or only white men, leading to bias and misinformation about women and people of color. AI has the potential to be a valuable tool in rheumatology, but only if standards and guardrails are established and protected, Dr. Yazdany said.