Genomics and proteomics: Applications in autoimmune diseases

Review

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Authors: Wolfgang Hueber, William H Robinson

Published Date August 2009 Volume 2009:2 Pages 39 - 48

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/PGPM.S4708

Wolfgang Hueber^1,2,3, William H Robinson^1,2

¹VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA; ²Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; ³Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research, Novartis, Basle, Switzerland

Abstract: Tremendous progress has been made over the past decade in the development and refinement of genomic and proteomic technologies for the identification of novel drug targets and molecular signatures associated with clinically important disease states, disease subsets, or differential responses to therapies. The rapid progress in high-throughput technologies has been preceded and paralleled by the elucidation of cytokine networks, followed by the stepwise clinical development of pathway-specific biological therapies that revolutionized the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Together, these advances provide opportunities for a long-anticipated personalized medicine approach to the treatment of autoimmune disease. The ever-increasing numbers of novel, innovative therapies will need to be harnessed wisely to achieve optimal long-term outcomes in as many patients as possible while complying with the demands of health authorities and health care providers for evidence-based, economically sound prescription of these expensive drugs. Genomic and proteomic profiling of patients with autoimmune diseases holds great promise in two major clinical areas: (1) rapid identification of new targets for the development of innovative therapies and (2) identification of patients who will experience optimal benefit and minimal risk from a specific (targeted) therapy. In this review, we attempt to capture important recent developments in the application of genomic and proteomic technologies to translational research by discussing informative examples covering a diversity of autoimmune diseases.

Keywords: proteomics, genomics, autoimmune diseases, antigen microarrays, 2-Dih, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, SLE, multiple sclerosis, GWAS

General overview: In contrast to studies of single genes or single proteins, genomics and proteomics studies simultaneously investigate large numbers of genes or proteins in one single experiment. Autoimmune diseases are characterized by a coordinated attack of the immune system against molecules of the human body, causing chronic inflammation and leading to destruction of tissues. While the causes of autoimmune diseases are unknown, many genes and proteins are involved in this "attack against self”. Thus, genomic and proteomic studies are of particular interest to researchers in the field of autoimmunity. Applications include: 1. the rapid identification of molecules that may be targeted by researchers and the pharmaceutical industry for the development of better drug therapies, 2. guiding physicians to identify patients who will experience optimal benefit and minimal risk from a specific therapy, and 3. the delineation of molecular signatures that may indicate an increased risk to develop an autoimmune disease later on, or may predict a more severe disease course that requires early and/or aggressive therapy. Technological advances provide opportunities for a long-anticipated personalized medicine approach to the treatment of autoimmune disease. The ever-increasing numbers of novel, innovative therapies will need to be harnessed wisely to achieve optimal long-term outcomes in as many patients as possible while complying with the demands of health authorities and health care providers for evidence-based, economically sound prescription of novel, expensive drugs. In this review, recent developments in the application of genomic and proteomic technologies are summarized by discussing informative examples covering a diversity of autoimmune diseases.