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Antigen-Microarray Profiling of Antibodies in SLE: A Personal View ofTranslation from Basic Science to the Clinic

Irun R. Cohen

In October of 2015, the startup company ImmunArray announced the launch of a microarray platform – the iChip^® – to profile repertoires of serum antibodies and autoantibodies. The first iChip^® product – the SLE-key^® RuleOut test – is designed to help the physician rule out a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in suspected patients. The aim of this review is threefold: the first aim is to describe how basic observations and a philosophical notion led me to undertake the development of what has turned out to be a clinically useful aid in dealing with complex diseases; the second aim is to describe the role of a company in overcoming the technological and informatics challenges involved in translating basic research into patient welfare; the third aim is to discuss why SLE, like other complex medical problems, can be better managed using immune profiling. Basic scientist readers might learn here about the path to clinical application; clinician readers might learn here about the complicated origins of seemingly simple tests.