Journal of Inflammation Research

Novel Molecular Biomarkers in Inflammation and Autoimmune Disease

The Journal of Inflammation Research is pleased to welcome you to submit your research to the Article Collection "Novel Molecular Biomarkers in Inflammation and Autoimmune Disease".

Inflammatory and autoimmune diseases are heterogeneous disorders in which dysregulated innate and adaptive immune responses cause tissue damage across diverse organs. Despite advances in targeted therapy, many patients remain difficult to diagnose early, stratify biologically, monitor reliably, or treat with durable benefit. This Article Collection will focus on novel molecular biomarkers that define mechanisms, inflammatory activity states, and clinically relevant endotypes. We welcome biomarkers from blood, tissue, synovial fluid, urine, saliva, extracellular vesicles, and other accessible biospecimens when biological relevance and analytical validity are addressed. Particular interest lies in signatures linking immune-cell function to metabolism, including metabolites, lipids, metabolic enzymes, nutrient sensing pathways, and immunometabolic programs.

Biomarker research can move care beyond broad diagnostic labels and empirical treatment selection. Patients with the same clinical diagnosis may differ in pathogenic pathways, disease trajectory, risk of irreversible organ damage, and response to biologics or small-molecule therapies. Robust molecular biomarkers could support earlier detection, assessment of activity, prognosis, treatment-response prediction, and safety monitoring. Advances in multiomics, single-cell and spatial profiling, high-sensitivity proteomics, metabolomics, and computational integration make this opportunity timely. Yet translation requires clinically well-characterized cohorts, appropriate comparator groups, independent validation, longitudinal assessment, reproducible assays, and, where feasible, functional evidence linking a marker to disease biology. The Collection seeks work that meets these requirements and narrows the gap between discovery and implementation.

Original research and scholarly reviews are welcome across rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, vasculitis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, systemic sclerosis, and kidney inflammation. Topics include discovery and validation of diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers; multiomics integration of genomic, epigenetic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, lipidomic, and microbiome-derived measures; single-cell and spatial methods; immunometabolic mechanisms; circulating and tissue biomarkers, including extracellular vesicles; molecular endotyping; and biomarker-guided precision medicine or target identification. We particularly encourage studies combining mechanistic insight with independent validation in clinical cohorts or experimental models. Public-dataset studies should add biological insight and include independent validation and/or functional follow-up. Submissions should remain focused on the molecular basis, cell biology, pharmacology, or clinical consequences of inflammation.

Keywords: Molecular biomarkers; Autoimmunity and inflammation; Immunometabolism; Multiomics; Precision medicine

Meet the Guest Advisors

Dr. Peng Wang is an Associate Professor and Master’s Supervisor at Anhui Medical University, China. His research focuses on the genetic epidemiology and molecular mechanisms of autoimmune diseases, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. His current work investigates protein post-translational modifications, immune regulation, and novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for autoimmune diseases.

Dr. Yuxiang Liu is an Associate Nephrologist at Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital and a recipient of the Sanjin Young Elite Talent in Healthcare award. His research focuses on inflammatory mechanisms in kidney disease, including pyroptosis, ferroptosis, innate immune regulation, and nano-based anti-inflammatory strategies for chronic kidney disease and diabetic kidney disease. He has led national and provincial research grants, supervised graduate students in nephrology and immunology, and serves on the editorial boards of multiple international peer-reviewed journals.

Prof. An-Fang Huang is an Associate Chief Physician in the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology at the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University. She obtained her master’s degree from the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University and subsequently trained for three years at West China Hospital, Sichuan University. Her research focuses on the clinical diagnosis and treatment of rheumatic diseases and their underlying pathogenesis, with particular emphasis on the construction and application of disease prediction models, screening for serum biomarkers to facilitate early detection and diagnosis, and functional studies of T cells aimed at identifying upstream potential biomarkers that regulate T cell dysfunction and contribute to the pathogenesis of rheumatic diseases. She serves as a reviewer for journals including Inflammation, International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases, and Frontiers in Immunology.