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Poster presenter (name, credentials, title, institution)
Eric W. Robbins, MD
Clinical Fellow
Critical Care Medicine and Pulmonary Branch; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
National Institutes of Health
Poster title:
Serial Quantitative Changes in Anti-Scl-70 Autoantibodies Are Associated with Lung Function Decline in Systemic Sclerosis
What is your poster about?
Our study investigates whether dynamic, quantitative monitoring of anti-Scl-70 autoantibody titers can predict lung function decline and disease progression in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Using a research assay known as luciferase immunoprecipitation systems (LIPS), we evaluated patients from the multicenter CONQUER registry. We found certain early dynamic changes in quantitative anti-Scl-70 levels were associated with subsequent forced vital capacity (FVC) decline. Specifically, a >30% early increase in anti-Scl-70 levels was associated with a nearly four-fold increased risk of pulmonary progression over two years.
Why did you decide to investigate this topic?
Our group had previously done work in myositis-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD), and we wanted to broaden our focus to other rheumatic diseases resulting in pulmonary fibrosis. We knew that anti-Scl-70 autoantibodies are a well-established risk factor for SSc–ILD, but we wanted to see if there was a more dynamic measure we could follow that might indicate a patient's risk trajectory. Our hope was to find a measure clinicians could serially monitor to better predict a patient's risk of pulmonary worsening.
What are you working on next related to this research?
Broadly, we are working on a new project investigating shared proteomic profiles of pulmonary fibrosis across a spectrum of autoimmune rheumatic diseases, such as myositis, SSc, and Sjögren's syndrome.
Simultaneously, to extend the specific work in this abstract, we hope to implement high-breadth proteomic profiling in the CONQUER cohort. We anticipate this expanded analyte coverage will allow us to capture a more comprehensive biological narrative and hopefully uncover molecular signatures tightly correlated with clinical progression.
What excites you most about your work?
I'm excited about the possibility of having more tools to enable dynamic, proactive monitoring in SSc-ILD care, rather than static risk assessments. Identifying an early biomarker trajectory that precedes clinical decline could give rheumatologists and pulmonologists a crucial window of opportunity to tailor their monitoring or therapeutic strategies before irreversible lung damage occurs.
What are you most looking forward to at ACR Convergence 2026 in Orlando?
As a pulmonologist, I look forward to connecting with rheumatology colleagues, translational researchers, and other ILD specialists. There's some amazing work going on in the rheumatic biomarker field, and I'm keenly watching several ongoing trials testing new immunotherapies in refractory rheumatologic disease. I am eager to share these insights from the CONQUER cohort, see what other findings presented might be integrated into clinical workflows, and discover new advancements across the field of rheumatology.
Registration
Early Registration: August 26, 23:59 EST
Timing: November 6–11
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