Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune joint disease caused by the body’s immune system mistakenly attacking the body’s own joints.
Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by inflammation at the lining of the joints, causing painful swelling which can eventually result in bone erosions and joint deformity, if left untreated.
The disease can also cause damage to a wide variety of other body systems, including lungs, skin, eyes, heart, blood vessels and others.
The need for biomarkers in rheumatoid arthritis today is two-fold. First, the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis remains a challenge because the signs and symptoms mimic those of many other diseases. Current biomarker techniques are imprecise and struggle to determine future prognosis of the patients.
Despite great progress in the availability of new and efficacious drugs in the last decades, a significant proportion of patients fail to respond to treatment or lose treatment effect over time. Exploratory biomarkers have the potential to greatly benefit patients, by aiding in the early diagnosis of disease and directing the most appropriate treatment at the right time. Furthermore, the use of Nordic biomarkers to enrich or stratify patients likely to respond to a therapeutic drug in development trials may reduce the trial length and sizerequired to determine therapeutic efficacy.
Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by inflammation and tissue destruction in the joints.
The tissues of the joint consist mainly of collagens. The collagens are remodeled as part of the normal homeostasis of the joint – that is, collagens are broken down and rebuilt as part of normal repair and maintenance of the tissue. In rheumatoid arthritis, the balance between degradation and formation of tissue is interrupted resulting in net degradation of the tissue. Nordic ProteinFingerPrint Technology™ biomarkers measured in our lab can quantify this tissue turnover directly in a serum sample.
We have developed the RheumaTrace™ biomarker portfolio for precise quantification of rheumatic diseases.
RheumaTrace™ is a next-generation biomarker panel developed to advance precision medicine in rheumatology. Built on over 30 years of research and more than 200 publications, it features seven biomarkers that capture key aspects of connective tissue degradation and immune activity. RheumaTrace™ enables drug developers to track disease activity, predict treatment response, and identify target patient populations—supporting smarter, faster decisions in clinical development.
These biomarkers delve into the complexities of connective tissue degradation and immune cell dynamics, providing invaluable insights for researchers and drug developers. By pinpointing the disease pathway and determining the optimal dosage for positive outcomes, our panel is at the forefront of precision medicine in rheumatology.
Unsure about how our technology can benefit your clinical trial in rheumatic disorder? Watch this short video and get an understanding of the benefit you gain from our biomarkers .
Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common autoimmune inflammatory joint disease, affecting approximately 0.5% of the population. Women are about two to three times more likely to get RA than men, but risk factors also include risk factors include age, genetics, smoking status, obesity and environmental factors.
Current diagnoses include physical examination looking for signs of joint inflammation. Current biomarkers used in standard of care diagnosis include c-reactive protein (CRP) or erythrocyte sedimentation rate, which can indicate the presence of an inflammatory reaction. Other blood tests include rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide which is present in some patients.
There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, but symptoms and inflammation can be treated using NSAIDs, steroids, or synthetic or biologic DMARDs. The type of treatment will depend on the severity of symptoms and the number of years with rheumatoid arthritis.
Biomarkers help in diagnosing RA earlier and more precisely, monitoring disease activity, predicting treatment response, and identifying patients most likely to benefit from specific therapies.
These biomarkers measure the breakdown and formation of collagen in joint tissues, reflecting inflammation and structural damage in RA. They provide insights that standard clinical assessments may miss.
RheumaTrace™ is a biomarker panel developed by Nordic Bioscience to quantify joint tissue turnover and immune activity in RA. It supports precision medicine by helping stratify patients and track treatment effects in clinical trials.
Biomarkers like those in the RheumaTrace™ panel can identify molecular signatures linked to better outcomes, helping tailor treatment plans and improve drug development efficiency.
Nordic Bioscience’s assays and services are research use only products and services and do not qualify for medical or diagnostic purposes.
