Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex and highly heterogeneous disease. By now, no novel drug has been approved by the US FDA in the past 50 years, except Belimumab, a monoclonal antibody to inhibit B-cell activating factor. The stagnating drug development of lupus may be due to our limited understanding of disease etiopathogenesis and the extreme heterogeneity of patient population. Thus, the individualized treatment for SLE becomes necessary. Recently, biomarkers have shown potential in individualized treatment. This review comprehensively summarizes novel potential biomarkers, discusses their current status in preclinical studies and clinical use, sensitivity to treatments and correlation with the disease activity, and provides an insight into the possibility of biomarkers in the utilization of individualized treatment for SLE.
Keywords: biomarker; cytokines; epigenetics; individualized treatment; systemic lupus erythematosus.