Abstract
Musculoskeletal diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis are complex multifactorial disorders that are chronic in nature and debilitating for patients. A number of drug families are available to clinicians to manage these disorders but few tests exist to target these to the most responsive patients. As a consequence, drug failure and switching to drugs with alternate modes of action is common. In parallel, a limited number of laboratory tests are available which measure biological indicators or 'biomarkers' of disease activity, autoimmune status, or joint damage. There is a growing awareness that assimilating the fields of drug selection and diagnostic tests into 'companion diagnostics' could greatly advance disease management and improve outcomes for patients. This review aims to highlight: the current applications of biomarkers in rheumatology with particular focus on companion diagnostics; developments in the fields of proteomics, genomics, microbiomics, imaging and bioinformatics and how integration of these technologies into clinical practice could support therapeutic decisions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 219-234 |
| Journal | Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 01 Feb 2015 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- bioinformatics
- companion diagnostics
- genomics
- imaging
- microbiomics
- proteomics
- rheumatology, stratified medicine
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pathology and Forensic Medicine
- Molecular Medicine
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics