Can you track lupus? A new biomarker to an autoimmune disease

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE; lupus) is an autoimmune disease, in which the immune system attacks healthy tissues, causing widespread inflammation. SLE primarily affects women of reproductive age. The patients suffer damages to specific organs, such as joints, muscles and kidneys, that should be identified and treated to prevent further harm. Since follow-up checks of the disease's progress are carried out regularly, they should be as non-invasive as possible. There are, however, no reliable and specific biomarkers – biological indicators – to determine individual organ pathology. In an article published in Journal of Autoimmunity, Prof. Chaim Putterman and Prof. Chandra Mohan describe a novel analysis of serum proteins from the murine lupus model. Among the multiple changes occurring in lupus, the researchers identified new candidate biomarkers of SLE-derived renal disease. Their results are also able to also guide future mechanistic studies in lupus animal models, and may eventually provide new directions for clinical investigation.