A recent study has assessed whether a protein called survivin, present in the blood, can be used as a serum biomarker to predict treatment response in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Survivin levels were analysed in over 300 patients. It was found that patients who had survivin present in their blood before treatment with methotrexate, had a greater chance of therapy failure, compared with patients who were survivin-negative before treatment. Patients who were survivin-negative before therapy responded better to methotrexate and anti-TNF therapy. The study found that survivin is a useful biomarker that could help predict treatment response in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Adrian Levitsky, Malin C. Erlandsson, Ronald F. van Vollenhoven and Maria I. Bokarewa “Serum survivin predicts responses to treatment in active rheumatoid arthritis: a post hoc analysis from the SWEFOT trial” BMC Medicine 2015, 13:247