The Next Chapter in Lupus Testing: Stratifying Patients from Diagnosis to Disease Monitoring

Course overview

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remains a clinically heterogeneous disease, posing ongoing challenges for patient stratification, prognosis, and long-term monitoring. While anti-dsDNA antibody testing has long anchored disease activity assessment, its performance as a standalone biomarker is limited, prompting growing interest in combinatorial and multianalyte approaches to better capture disease heterogeneity. Dr. Michelle Petri (Johns Hopkins University) will begin by reviewing the current landscape of SLE management and the laboratory tools clinicians rely on today, including emerging strategies for stratifying patients beyond single-marker testing. Dr. Yves Renaudineau (Toulouse University Hospital Center) will then share findings from a recent longitudinal study exploring the value of coupling anti-dsDNA and anti-chromatin antibody testing in SLE patients. His presentation will examine how combining these results may help clinicians better anticipate disease trajectory and guide follow-up strategies. Join us to explore how evolving laboratory approaches are reshaping the way SLE patients are stratified and monitored from diagnosis through long-term care.