Biomarkers of fibrosis

Abstract

Biomarkers are modern diagnostics that can guide the treatment of our patients in daily clinical life and direct drug development in preclinical and clinical studies. Biological markers allow screening for diseases, giving prognostic information, and assessing disease activity. Over the last 20 years, biomarkers helped to prioritize drug development and minimize risks for drug attrition in late-phase clinical studies [1]. Despite their central roles in modern medicine, the numbers of disease-specific biomarkers that we routinely assess in our patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) are limited [2, 3]. So far, past medical history, clinical examination, and equipment-based diagnostics (e.g., computed tomography, body plethysmography, and right-heart catheterization studies) dominate our treatment decisions in SSc. When compared to these conventional diagnostics, biomarkers measured in the skin, blood, and other body fluids might offer several advantages: Biological markers might be (1) easily accessible, which is convenient for patients and physicians; (2) more sensitive and specific for disease processes; (3) cost efficient, which allows frequent measurements; and (4) they might better reflect molecular changes during disease courses and treatment periods, which makes them ideal outcome measures to monitor targeted therapies.