Partnership seeks to identify rheumatoid arthritis biomarkers to improve understanding of disease risk, progression, and treatment responses

MORRISVILLE, N.C. and GLASGOW, Scotland, Aug. 28, 2024 -- Metabolon, Inc., the global leader in providing metabolomics solutions advancing a wide variety of life science research, diagnostic, therapeutic development, and precision medicine applications, and the Scottish Early Rheumatoid Arthritis (SERA) Study, today announced a partnership to identify circulating small molecules that may be used as biomarkers of rheumatoid arthritis disease risk, progression, and treatment response. By linking Metabolon's unique library of small molecules with SERA's well-characterized cohort, this partnership will combine metabolomic data with clinical and genomic information to better understand the molecular mechanisms of rheumatoid arthritis disease development and progression.

As of 2019, there were approximately 18 million cases of rheumatoid arthritis globally. This condition predominantly affects women, who make up about 70% of those diagnosed. Additionally, over half of the individuals with this disease are aged 55 or older. Out of the total affected, around 13 million suffer from moderate to severe forms of rheumatoid arthritis, which indicates a potential need for rehabilitation. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that impacts various systems within the body, primarily targeting joints.

For the study, the SERA inception cohort and biobank recruited 1073 patients from across Scotland, UK, with newly diagnosed RA or undifferentiated arthritis between March 2011 and April 2015. Clinical characteristics, including therapeutics and disease activity parameters, were recorded with a broad range of biobanked biological samples.

"Our original ambition in establishing the SERA cohort was to facilitate a deeper understanding of the causes of rheumatoid arthritis and how affected individuals progress in their disease," said Iain McInnes, Vice Principal and Head of College, University of Glasgow. "This, in turn, helps us identify better patient treatments and make wiser treatment choices. Our new collaboration with Metabolon is an exciting step forward in the search for improved predictive therapies for patients."

Genetic susceptibility is thought to account for approximately 60% of rheumatoid arthritis cases; however, an environmental trigger is hypothesized to lead to the development of rheumatoid arthritis. Metabolomics is the perfect complement to the SERA study since metabolomics sits at the intersection of genetic and environmental cues. These combined multiomic datasets will facilitate a deeper understanding of the pathology of rheumatoid arthritis, hopefully resulting in improved diagnostic and treatment options.

"Rheumatoid arthritis is an extremely diverse disorder characterized by a wide range of disease severity, phenotypes, and treatment responses. Currently, there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, but there are drugs available that can slow disease progression. Treatments are often tailored through trial and error because there's no standard way to group patients for specific treatments," said Karl Bradshaw, Chief Business Officer at Metabolon. "By integrating metabolomics into SERA's robust cohort, we hope to identify data patterns and stratify patients to develop personalized treatment plans."

To learn more about how large disease-focused cohorts are integrating metabolomics into their multiomic research, please visit: https://www.metabolon.com/applications/population-health/

About Metabolon 

Metabolon, Inc. is the global leader in metabolomics, with a mission to deliver biochemical data and insights that expand and accelerate the impact of life sciences research and complement other 'omics' technologies. With more than 20 years, 10,000+ projects, 3,000+ publications, and ISO 9001:2015, CLIA, and CAP certifications, Metabolon has developed industry-leading scientific, technology, and bioinformatics techniques. Metabolon's Global Discovery Panel is powered by the world's largest proprietary metabolomics reference library. Metabolon's industry-leading data and translational science expertise help customers and partners address some of the most challenging and pressing questions in the life sciences, accelerating research and enhancing development success. The company offers scalable, customizable multiomics solutions, including metabolomics and lipidomics, that support customer needs from discovery through clinical trials and product life-cycle management. For more information, please visit www.metabolon.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Metabolomics

Metabolomics, the large-scale study of all small molecules in a biological system, is the only 'omics technology that provides a complete current-state functional readout of a biological system. Metabolomics helps researchers see beyond the genetic variation of individuals, capturing the combined impact of genetic and external factors such as the effect of drugs, diet, lifestyle, and the microbiome on human health. By measuring thousands of discrete chemical signals that form biological pathways in the body, metabolomics can reveal important biomarkers, enabling a better understanding of a drug's mechanism of action, pharmacodynamics, and safety profile, as well as individual responses to therapy.

About the Scottish Early Rheumatoid Arthritis (SERA) Study

The Scottish Early Rheumatoid Arthritis (SERA) study is an inception cohort of rheumatoid (RA) and undifferentiated arthritis (UA) patients that aims to provide a contemporary description of phenotype and outcome and facilitate the discovery of phenotypic and prognostic biomarkers. SERA is a consortium made up of the Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, the NHS Scotland, Pfizer, and the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office.

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