Researchers have identified novel biomarkers that may be predictive of the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, according to a recent study published by Solomon et al in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Prior research has indicated that patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a greater likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease. In the TARGET trial, the researchers analyzed the concentration of 24 candidate biomarkers—previously shown to be associated with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic inflammation—in 109 patients with rheumatoid arthritis at baseline and after a follow-up of 24 weeks. They assessed the impact of two different treatment strategies on cardiovascular risk by measuring the change in arterial inflammation on arterial target–to-background ratio on fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) scans. The researchers demonstrated target-to-background ratio decreases with both treatment strategies and discovered that six of the biomarkers were correlated with significant changes in target-to-background ratio: baseline serum amyloid A, C-reactive proteins, soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 1, adiponectin, YKL-40 secreted glycoproteins, and osteoprotegerin. Compared with standard methods based on factors such as age, sex, cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking history; the novel biomarkers improved the researchers’ ability to predict arterial inflammation and subsequent cardiovascular risk. The researchers plan to further examine the predictive efficacy of the novel biomarkers in a larger study involving over 1,000 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In a companion press release reporting on the results from Mass General Brigham, the study authors concluded: “This is an important step toward using blood samples to measure changes in cardiovascular risk with the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.”