Danish research reveals novel biomarker for autoimmune diseases

Researchers have developed a novel analytical method for tracking disease progression in patients that shows great potential for healthcare implementation.

Patients with autoimmune diseases often have lifelong contact with doctors and hospitals. Tracking disease progression is crucial for ensuring optimal treatment.

Researchers from Aarhus University have developed a method that quickly and easily provides doctors with more knowledge about disease progression.

Their study has just been published in Journal of Translational Autoimmunity. The researchers demonstrate a method that shows promise as a biomarker for disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis – and, presumably, other autoimmune diseases.

The large proteins are the problem 

The researchers have previously demonstrated the importance of monitoring large proteins in blood samples from patients with Lupus and Alzheimer’s in order to track disease progression. They have now published an analytical method that shows promise for large-scale clinical application. 

"We have shown that large proteins are a marker for disease activity in both neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases. The key point is that we have developed an entirely new kind of biomarker that isn’t measured today," says Assistant Professor Kristian Juul-Madsen from the Department of Biomedicine at Aarhus University, who is the last author of the study.

Just get started

The new method identifies large immuno-active complexes in patients with inflammation – in the study exemplified by rheumatoid arthritis. And this is done in a way that makes it possible to measure patient samples parallelly instead of serially. This will significantly increase capacity. 

"You go from being able to analyse a few samples a day to potentially several hundred. It takes time to implement new assays in the clinical biochemistry departments of hospitals, but this method can be implemented without training new staff or investing in new equipment. You just have to buy the reagents and get started," says Kristian Juul-Madsen.

The study has examined blood and synovial fluid samples from patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The typical patient diagnosed is a woman in her fifties and the disease requires lifelong treatment. But it is important to ensure the medication dosage is neither too high nor too low. A dosage that is too low causes joint deformity, too high causes side effects and the risk of complications.

The new method provides a more precise assessment of disease progression and makes it easier to adapt treatment to the individual patient. 

Also applies to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's

Associate Professor and Rheumatologist Tue Wenzel Kragstrup has served as the study's link to the clinic through his work at the Department of Arthritis and Connective Tissue Diseases at Silkeborg Regional Hospital and Aarhus University Hospital. 

He has collected samples from rheumatoid arthritis patients and developed the assays that will be used to analyse the samples. 

"Better diagnostics lead to better treatment. With the new method, we make it practically possible to improve diagnostics and monitoring in a healthcare system under time pressure," says Tue Wenzel Kragstrup. 

 "The next step is to use exactly the same method on different patient cohorts. Testing other autoimmune conditions would be a logical next step, such as using urine samples for autoimmune kidney diseases or stool samples for autoimmune intestinal diseases," he says.

The results are, of course, particularly exciting for patients and doctors. But the study is also interesting for immunologists trying to understand mechanisms in the immune system, says co-author Professor Thomas Vorup-Jensen.

"Oligomerisation (a process by which small molecules combine to form larger structures) of immuno-relevant proteins is crucial for their activity. Even small concentrations of these large complexes can account for the vast majority of the immune system’s response. We have also demonstrated this phenomenon in diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and it is a field in rapid development," he says. 

The research results - more information 

•    The study is a combination of translational research, where the researchers develop new biomarker tools for clinical practice, and basic research, where the researchers try to understand the mechanism behind the biomarker that has been found.
•    The most important partner is the Rheumatology Research Group, Department of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham
•    External funding: Independent Research Fund Denmark and the Lundbeck Foundation.
•    Read more in the scientific article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtauto.2025.100266

Contact

Assistant Professor Kristian Juul-Madsen
Aarhus University, Department of Biomedicine 
Mobile: +45 61 28 55 20 
Email: juul-madsen@biomed.au.dk

Professor Thomas Vorup-Jensen
Aarhus University, Department of Biomedicine 
Mobile: +45 21 48 97 81
Email: vorup-jensen@biomed.au.dk

Associate Professor Tue Wenzel Kragstrup
Aarhus University, Department of Biomedicine, Department of Molecular Medicine (MOMA), Department of Clinical Medicine and Department of Arthritis and Connective Tissue Diseases, Silkeborg Regional Hospital
Mobile: +45 29 82 17 39
Email: kragstrup@biomed.au.dk