Identification of biomarker which could aid risk stratification in Juvenile Dermatomyositis

Research led by BRC-funded Professor Lucy Wedderburn has shown that muscle pathology and myositis-specific antibodies (MSA) predict the risk of remaining on treatment in Juvenile Dermatomyositis (JDM). These findings could aid risk stratification.

JDM is a rare disease characterised by proximal muscle weakness, rashes and elevated levels of muscle enzymes. Although some JDM patients achieve remission following standard disease management, others fail to respond.

In this study, muscle biopsies from JDM patients were analysed and autoantibodies were measured. Findings showed that MSA was linked to muscle pathology and that MSA influenced the relationship between muscle pathology and long-term treatment status in JDM. This suggests that muscle pathology and MSA could be used to identify patients who may require a more aggressive form of treatment. Furthermore, understanding the link between these biomarkers and long-term outcomes may allow sub-phenotypes of JDM to be classified with the potential to provide more tailored therapies.

These findings have been published in Arthritis Rheumatology and are also highlighted in a recent editorial of Nature Reviews Rheumatology.