Introduction
Systemic Sclerosis (SSc, scleroderma) is a complex autoimmune disorder of unclear aetiology, characterised by vascular abnormalities and immunological disturbances culminating in excessive extracellular matrix
deposition (fibrosis/tissue scarring) in skin and internal organs (e.g. joints, heart, lung, gastrointestinal tract and kidneys). My team has previously demonstrated that the chemokine CXCL4 is a central player in the pathogenesis of SSc and in particular promotes fibrosis
(published in the New England Journal of Medicine)4. In this study, we also showed that elevated plasma CXCL4 levels in SSc patients correlate strongly with disease, disease severity and progression of disease.
This suggests that CXCL4 has great potential as 1) a biomarker to assist early diagnosis, 2) a biomarker to predict SSc disease course, and 3) a therapeutic target for the
treatment or prevention of fibrosis in patients with SSc.
Aim:
The aim of ASSYST was to deliver a reliable and robust method to test the level of CXCL4 in the plasma or serum of healthy volunteers and patients with SSc.
Results:
By testing serum and plasma (EDTA & Li-hep) from healthy volunteers and SSc patients the best protocol for sample preparation, dilution and measurement was tested (see protocol uploaded).
Conclusion:
We delivered a simple, cheap, robust and reliable ELISA to determine the level of CXCL4 in the plasma and serum of healthy volunteers and patients.
