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European Forum on Antiphospholipid Antibodies: research in progress

Department of Internal Medicine, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology Unit, University of Milan, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italypierluigi.meroni{at}unimi.it

A Tincani

Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Spedali Civili and University of Brescia, Italy

ME Alarcón-Riquelme

Department of Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; Arthritis and Immunology Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; GENyO, Andalucian Center of Genomics and Oncological Research, Pfizer-University of Granada-Junta de Andalucía, Granada, Spain

Y Shoenfeld

Department of Internal Medicine B and Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Aviv University, Israel

MO Borghi

Department of Internal Medicine, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology Unit, University of Milan, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy

The research projects of the European Forum on Antiphospholipid Antibodies are representative of how dynamic is this area of investigation. The present review is focused on the most recent projects of the Forum on the aetiopathogenic aspects of the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Studies on the genetic background of the APS are ongoing in order to better define the proximity between APS and full-blown systemic lupus erythematosus. However, the analysis of the polymorphisms of genes coding for inflammatory mediators may offer new information on the role of inflammatory processes in triggering thrombotic events as well as the whole susceptibility for developing the vascular manifestations. A systematic and wide detection of serological markers of infectious processes will give new insight on the role of infectious agents in favouring autoimmunity in APS. Owing to the well-known role of vitamin D₃ defect in autoimmune disease, the detection of vitamin plasma levels in APS patients will offer the rationale for a possible therapeutic supplementation. Additional projects are aimed to better characterize the diagnostic/prognostic value of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) by defining their epitope specificity and binding avidity. Pregnancy complications represent the obstetric side of APS. Research projects are focussed on the role of complement activation in placenta damage and on the potential ability of aPL to affect the fertility. Finally, a study has been planned in order to draw definitive conclusions on the associations between aPL and atherosclerosis.

Key Words: antiphospholipid antibodies • beta2 glycoprotein I • complement • genetics • inflammation • pregnancy

Lupus, Vol. 18, No. 10, 924-929 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0961203309106916


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