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Blood test for RA biomarker launched
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Exagen Diagnostics has announced the launch of the first validated blood test to detect anticarbamylated protein antibodies, which have been found to be significantly elevated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, according to a press release.
Prior studies have established an association between anticarbamylated protein (anti-CarP) antibodies and greater disability and disease activity among patients with inflammatory arthritis. In a retrospective study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, Truchetet and colleagues demonstrated that elevated anti-CarP antibody levels indicated more severe forms of RA, associated with a higher risk for joint erosions within 3 years of diagnosis. Additionally, patients with elevated anti-CarP levels were found to be prescribed more aggressive treatments to maintain disease control.
“This marker may be the missing link to understanding why some patients have such severe and erosive disease and others experience mild symptoms,” Thomas Huizinga, MD, PhD, professor of rheumatology at Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands, said in a press release. “Furthermore, we have relied heavily on markers like rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptides which are very useful but do not tell the complete story.”
As demonstrated by Verheul and colleagues in data published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, anti-CarP antibodies — in conjunction with rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide autoantibodies — can provide early diagnosis of RA and may provide a prognostic biomarker for individuals at risk of developing RA.
“Having an advanced test like anti-CarP may offer physicians additional insights to better manage their rheumatoid arthritis patients for improved health care outcomes” Arthur Weinstein, MD, chief medical officer at Exagen Diagnostics, said in a press release. “There are a number of clinical scenarios where this test can add significant value: for example, when patients are feeling fine and elect to forego proactive therapy recommended by their provider, or when other lab tests such as anti- [cyclic citrullinated peptide] or anti-[rheumatoid factor] are negative.”