suPAR as a circulating inflammatory biomarker: time for translation into clinical practice - A systematic review.

In 30 seconds

This systematic review examines soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) as a circulating biomarker, its isoforms, and methods used to measure it. It reviews evidence across acute illness, chronic inflammatory diseases, and malignancies. The authors describe suPAR as a marker of systemic chronic inflammation and note its reported association with disease severity and mortality in acute COVID-19, as well as diagnostic and prognostic potential in sepsis, systemic sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and malignancies. No pooled quantitative estimate is reported in the abstract.

Key findings

• During the COVID-19 pandemic, suPAR was investigated as a predictor of disease severity and mortality in acute patients.
• Elevated suPAR levels have been reported in systemic sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and various malignancies, with potential diagnostic and prognostic value.
• Available measurement methods include ELISA, turbidimetric immunoassays, and chemiluminescence immunoassays; their ability to detect specific isoforms differs.

Why it matters

suPAR may provide information about systemic inflammation and prognosis across several clinical conditions. However, its circulating isoforms may differ in biological and clinical significance, and assays do not detect them uniformly. Understanding these differences is important when interpreting reported suPAR results and assessing whether the biomarker can be applied consistently in clinical settings.

What to keep in mind

The abstract provides no pooled quantitative estimates or details on the evidence-selection methods, and notes that assays differ in isoform detection.