A four-gene biomarker predicts skin disease in patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Improved outcome measures in systemic sclerosis (SSc) are critical to finding active therapeutics for this disease. The modified Rodnan skin thickness score (MRSS) is the current standard for evaluating skin disease in SSc, but it is not commonly used in the clinical setting, in part because it requires specialized training to perform accurately and consistently. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether skin gene expression might serve as a more objective surrogate outcome measure to supplement skin score evaluations.

Methods

Skin RNAs from a group of patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc were studied for expression levels of genes known to be regulated by transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) and interferon (IFN). These levels were correlated with th

SUBMITTER: Farina G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3018285 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature