Publications

Abstract BACKGROUND AND AIMS Crohn’s disease (CD) is characterized by progressive intestinal transmural damage, including fibrosis and strictures, which impair quality of life and require surgical intervention. No anti-stricture therapies are available, and no accurate biomarkers have been validated allowing prediction of strictures. Collagen fragments synthesis and remodeling show potential as markers of transmural disease […]

Abstract Collagen type I (COL1) is the most abundant protein in the human body and is a main component in the extracellular matrix. The COL1 structure vastly influences normal tissue homeostasis, and changes in the matrix drive progression in multiple diseases. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in many Western […]

Abstract Inflammatory arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, is characterized by physical function impairment. This becomes apparent even before arthritis onset, as in psoriasis (PsO). Chronic inflammation triggers an accelerated remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM), resulting in released ECM fragments detectable in blood. We aimed to investigate levels of blood-based ECM biomarkers in […]

Abstract Organ function depends on the three-dimensional integrity of the extracellular matrix (ECM). The structure resulting from the location and association of ECM components is a central regulator of cell behavior, but a dearth of matrix-specific analysis keeps it unresolved. Here, we deploy a high-resolution, 3D ECM mapping method and design a machine-learning powered pipeline […]

Abstract BACKGROUND Severe and critical COVID-19 is characterized by pulmonary viral infection with SARS-CoV-2 resulting in local and systemic inflammation. Dexamethasone (DEX) has been shown to improve outcomes in critically ill patients; however, its effect on tissue remodeling, particularly collagen turnover, remains unclear. This study investigated the association between circulating extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling neo-epitopes […]

Abstract Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative condition, which is highly heterogeneous upon diagnosis. Brain extracellular matrix (ECM) accounts for 10-20 % of the total brain volume and is responsible for the physical organization of neuronal and glia cells. Blood-based biomarkers quantifying ECM fragments holds the potential as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Here we evaluated […]

Abstract Blood-based extracellular matrix (ECM) fragments have been identified as potential pharmacologic biomarkers in spondyloarthritis and diagnostic biomarkers in psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis vulgaris. This study aimed to explore whether ECM fragments can differentiate patients with psoriasis from healthy controls (HC) and determine their potential as biomarkers for response to treatment in psoriasis. The study […]

Abstract BACKGROUND Novel noninvasive predictors of disease severity and prognosis in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) are needed. This study evaluated the ability of extracellular matrix remodeling markers to diagnose fibrosis stage and predict PSC-related fibrosis progression and clinical events. METHODS Liver histology and serum markers of collagen formation (propeptide of type III collagen [Pro-C3], propeptide […]

Abstract BACKGROUND This post-hoc study investigated whether biomarkers reflecting extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover predicted cardiovascular disease (CVD), mortality, and progression of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and microalbuminuria. METHODS Serum levels of specific ECM turnover biomarkers were assessed in 192 participants with T2D and microalbuminuria from an observational study […]

Abstract OBJECTIVE Clinical observation suggests that vascular activation and autoimmunity precede remodelling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in systemic sclerosis (SSc). We challenge this paradigm by hypothesising that ECM biomarkers are already disturbed in patients with very early SSc (veSSc) when fibrosis is not yet clinically detectable. METHODS 42 patients with veSSc, defined as the […]