Role of laboratory biomarkers in monitoring and prediction of the effectiveness of treatment of rheumatic diseases using genetically engineered drugs

Significant progress in treating immunoinflammatory rheumatic diseases (RD) is related to the design of a novel family of drugs, genetically engineered (GE) drugs. Molecular and cellular biomarkers (antibodies, indicators of acute inflammation, cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, endothelial activation markers, immunoglobulins, cryoglobulins, T- and B-cell subpopulations, products of bone and cartilage metabolism, genetic and metabolic markers) that allow one to conduct immunological monitoring and prediction of the effectiveness of RD therapy using tumor necrosis factor α inhibitors (infliximab, adalimumab, golimumab, etanercept), anti-B-cell drugs (rituximab, belimumab), interleukin-6 receptor antagonist (tocilizumab), and T-cell costimulation blocker (abatacept) have been detected in blood, synovial fluid, urine, and bioptates of the affected tissues. In addition to the conventional uniplex immunodiagnostics techniques, multiplex analysis of marker, which is based on genetic, transcriptomic and proteomic technologies using DNA and protein microarrays, polymerase chain reaction, and flow cytometry, is becoming increasingly widespread. The search for and validation of immunological predictors of the effective response to GE drug therapy make it possible to optimize and reduce the cost of therapy using these drugs in future.

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