Emerging Biomarkers in Autoimmune Diseases: From Pharmacodynamic Insights to Therapeutic Translation

Dear Colleagues,

Autoimmune diseases—characterized by dysregulated immune attacks on self-tissues—continue to be hindered by limited precision in treatment selection, inadequate prediction of therapeutic responses, and the absence of early markers to guide pharmacotherapy adjustments. Traditional biomarkers often fail to reflect disease heterogeneity or correlate with drug efficacy and toxicity, leading to suboptimal treatment outcomes and unnecessary systemic exposure. Although omics technologies, single-cell approaches, and AI-driven analyses have accelerated the discovery of novel biomarkers over the past decade, translating these preclinical candidates into pharmacologically relevant tools (e.g., in guiding drug selection, monitoring therapeutic effects, or optimizing dosing regimens) remains a critical unmet need.

Against this backdrop, this Special Issue aims to bridge the gap between emerging biomarkers in autoimmune diseases and their pharmacotherapeutic applications. We focus on leveraging biomarkers to enhance precision medicine—including guiding targeted drug selection, predicting responses to immunomodulators and biologics, monitoring pharmacodynamic (PD) effects, optimizing treatment duration, and reducing adverse drug reactions. The scope includes conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease, and welcomes studies integrating basic pharmacology, translational research, and clinical pharmacotherapy perspectives.

Recent breakthroughs include non-invasive pharmacodynamic biomarkers (e.g., circRNAs correlating with TNF inhibitor efficacy; extracellular vesicle proteins reflecting JAK inhibitor activity), AI-driven multi-omics analyses for validating treatment-response predictors, and microbiome–metabolite biomarkers that inform combination pharmacotherapy strategies. Additionally, mechanistic studies linking biomarkers to drug targets (e.g., cytokine profiles guiding IL-6/IL-17 inhibitor use) or disease pathways are opening new avenues for personalized autoimmune therapy.

We seek original research articles, reviews, and short communications on the following topics: biomarker discovery for pharmacotherapeutic stratification; validation of biomarkers for predicting drug response or toxicity; clinical application of biomarkers in guiding the use of immunomodulators and biologics; pharmacodynamic mechanisms underlying biomarker–drug correlations; and strategies to accelerate the translation of biomarkers into clinical pharmacotherapy. Studies presenting biomarker-guided treatment algorithms or real-world evidence of improved outcomes (e.g., reduced non-response rates, minimized adverse events) are particularly encouraged.

Dr. Kornelia Kuźnik-Trocha
Guest Editor

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