title: Systemic lupus erythematosus diagnostics in the 'omics' era.
abstract: Systemic lupus erythematosus is a complex autoimmune disease affecting multiple organ systems. Currently, diagnosis relies upon meeting at least four out of eleven criteria outlined by the ACR. The scientific community actively pursues discovery of novel diagnostics in the hope of better identifying susceptible individuals in early stages of disease. Comprehensive studies have been conducted at multiple biological levels including: DNA (or genomics), mRNA (or transcriptomics), protein (or proteomics) and metabolites (or metabolomics). The 'omics' platforms allow us to re-examine systemic lupus erythematosus at a greater degree of molecular resolution. More importantly, one is hopeful that these 'omics' platforms may yield newer biomarkers for systemic lupus erythematosus that can help clinicians track the disease course with greater sensitivity and specificity.
authors.affiliation: Rheumatic Diseases Division, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-8884, USA.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arriens
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, 3605 Cullen Blvd, Room 2018, Houston, TX 77204, USA.
authors.forename: Chandra
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mohan
keywords: epigenomics; genomics; metabolomics; proteomics; systemic lupus erythematosus; transcriptomics