Table 1.

Candidate diagnostic biomarkers for SLE

Category	Advantages	Disadvantages
Autoantibodies	Present in preclinical SLE Readily measured Some have SLE specificity	Many overlap with other preclinical disease states
Soluble mediators/cytokines	Present in preclinical SLE Some (eg, BlyS) may have specificity for SLE	Most are not specific for SLE
Complement products	Relative specificity for SLE Correlation with tissue damage and severity in SLE	Not highly prevalent in preclinical disease
Gene signatures	IFN signature present in preclinical disease	Not disease specific; present in RA, myositis Not clinically measured

IFN, interferon; RA, rheumatoid arthritis.