Plasma proteomics studies to assess the clinical manifestations and tissue damage associated with certain inflammatory myopathies

An international consortium of researchers, including a French team, analysed the proteomic profiles of 201 patients seen in Stockholm who were suffering from inflammatory myopathy:

• these profiles, measured at the plasma level, were classified according to the type of inflammatory myopathy in question, the tissues most severely affected and the presence of autoantibodies, as well as markers of the interferon pathway,
• in this way, significant differences in the production of certain proteins emerged between cases of dermatomyositis, anti-synthetase syndrome and autoimmune necrotising myopathy,
• these profiles also varied depending on the tissues considered (skin, lung, muscle).

This new technology, which is simple to implement, has the potential to assist clinicians in the diagnostic process for inflammatory myopathies.