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We investigate Sarcoidosis and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, IPF, to find markers for early fibrosis development. The aetiologies for both diseases are unknown and there is no specific treatment, moreover, there is a lack of diagnostic biomarkers for both diagnose and disease activity. Overall, the diseases have a considerable effect on patients’ physical health and quality of life. To identify patients at risk of rapid development of fibrosis, it is vital to improve patient care. We hypothesize that identification of specific antigens can help in the exposition of the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis as well as of IPF, and in the long perspective this could lead to identification of therapeutic targets. In project I we investigated the presence of proteins in BAL and serum from sarcoidosis patients and controls to discover disease associated proteins. In total eight proteins had increased levels in sarcoidosis patients, two were the most prominent (Fibronectin 1, FN1 and C-C motif chemokine 2, CCL2) that displayed the greatest differences between cohorts. Furthermore, the protein cadherin 5 (CDH5) had a positive association to lymphocyte count in BAL, interesting since T-lymphocytes are the major cell type in sarcoidosis. Potentially this could provide a way of monitoring lymphocyte presence in the lung through blood sample. In project II the large source of antigens from the Human Protein Atlas Project, a large library of protein fragments and antibodies that represent virtually all proteins in the body, was used to screen the immunoglobulin G specificity towards 3072 selected antigens in serum and BAL samples from patients with either of the sarcoidosis subcategories (Löfgren's syndrome (LS), non-Löfgren's sarcoidosis (nLS)), and asthma as well as healthy controls. A selected set of antigens went on to be analyzed in mSBA analysis. Sarcoidosis patients demonstrated an elevated reactivity frequencies toward Zinc finger protein 688 (ZNF688) and mitochondrial ribosomal

Background: Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous systemic inflammatory disease in which more than 90 % of all patients develop pulmonary manifestations. Several gene associations have previously been described, but established and clinically useful biomarkers are still absent. This study aimed to find proteins in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid that can be associated with the disease. Methods: We developed and performed profiling of 94 selected proteins in BAL fluid and serum samples obtained from newly diagnosed and non-treated patients with sarcoidosis. Using multiplexed immunoassays, a total of 317 BAL and 217 serum samples were analyzed, including asthmatic patients and healthy individuals as controls. Results: Our analyses revealed increased levels of eight proteins in sarcoidosis patients compared to controls. Out of these, fibronectin (FN1) and C-C motif chemokine 2 (CCL2) revealed the strongest associations. In addition, cadherin 5 (CDH5) was found to correlate positively with lymphocyte cell numbers in BAL fluid. Conclusions: Applying a high throughput proteomics screening technique, we found proteins of potential clinical relevance in the context of sarcoidosis., QC 20160727