DNA methylation as a marker of response in rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a complex disease affecting approximately 0.5-1% of the population. While there are effective biologic therapies, in up to 40% of patients, disease activity remains inadequately controlled. Therefore, identifying factors that predict, prior to the initiation of therapy, which patients are likely to respond best to which treatment is a research priority and DNA methylation is increasingly being explored as a potential theranostic biomarker. DNA methylation is thought to play a role in RA disease pathogenesis and in mediating the relationship between genetic variants and patient outcomes. The role of DNA methylation has been most extensively explored in cancer medicine, where it has been shown to be predictive of treatment response. Studies in RA, however, are in their infancy and, while showing promise, further investigation in well-powered studies is warranted.