In this episode of #ArthritisAtHome, we are sharing the #CRArthritis 2025 interview with Mr. Nathan Barreth, a Public Health Science Student of Medicine at the University of Calgary. He joins ACE’s Kelly Lendvoy to review his participation in a workshop focussed on systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) and some of the unmet needs in SARD patients, the impact of SARDs on our healthcare system, and the potential value of biomarkers that can help close the gaps related to managing these patients. Biomarkers are measurable indicators of a biological condition, process, or response to treatment in the body. They can be found in blood, tissues, urine, or other bodily fluids and are used by health care providers to help detect, diagnose, monitor, or predict the progression of diseases and treatment response.
Systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases include diseases like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and myositis. Nathan’s study focussed on myositis. The term myositis refers to a set of autoimmune diseases involving chronic inflammation of the muscles. Other symptoms include pain, fatigue, and trouble swallowing. In this research, Nathan studied a biomarker called Sialic Acid Binding Ig-Like Lectin 1 (Siglick-1) and why it is important for tracking disease activity in myositis. He goes on to explain how identifying Siglec-1 as a biomarker will help patients with myositis receive better, more personalized treatment, including to help guide treatment decisions, predict flare-ups, and adjust therapies to improve patient outcomes.
Stay tuned for next week’s #ArthritisAtHome as Ms. Deb Fowler shares her experience of living with dermatomyositis.
Additional learning resource
- Nathan Barreth’s Podcast “Journey to Medicine”
- The Myositis Association: About Myositis
- The role of sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like-lectin-1 (siglec-1) in immunology and infectious disease