Chandra Mohan, a lupus research pioneer, identified new biomarkers with improved diagnostic performance for early diagnosis of lupus nephritis in his lab at the University of Houston. Early detection of renal involvement in lupus and quick treatment are critical in decreasing the pain, suffering, and eventual mortality it causes.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), or lupus, is an autoimmune illness in which the body attacks its own tissues and organs. Inflammation caused by the condition can affect various regions of the body, including the joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, and heart. Lupus nephritis is one of the most common and severe clinical presentations of SLE, accounting for the majority of deaths.
Mohan said,
We and others have reported several urine proteins that can serve as harbingers of renal involvement in lupus. Here, we report on a novel technique based on the use of antibodies and DNA amplification that can detect even low concentrations of proteins. This technique is called Proximity Extension Assay (PEA),
Mohan and colleagues used PEA proteomics (the study of protein interactions, function, composition, and structures) to identify many proteins that were significantly higher in the urine of lupus patients with active renal illness.
The study provided independent validation for various previously described urine biomarkers for active renal lupus, including proteins including ALCAM, CD163, MCP1, SELL, ICAM1, VCAM1, NGAL, and TWEAK. The researchers also discovered new urine protein biomarkers, including ICAM-2, FABP4, FASLG, IGFBP-2, SELE, and TNFSF13B/BAFF.
The renal expression of these molecules indicates that both immune and non-immune cells in the kidneys may be releasing these biomarker proteins into the urine.
Mohan added,
These studies have expanded the repertoire of urinary proteins that can be used to monitor renal status in a patient with lupus,
