Biomarkers in experimental models of antibody-mediated neuropathies.

Autoimmune neuropathy models have been refined in animals over the past 50 years to enable links to be made between antibody signatures and disease pathogenesis; however, the application of these models to identify biomarkers has not been fully developed. Models for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) must ensure that adequate distinctions are made from variants of other neuropathic states such as Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in order to be of greatest clinical use. One of the main hurdles to overcome is the diverse pathogenesis of CIDP, which must be reflected in any potential models. Some advances in the search for biomarkers of CIDP have been made with the elucidation of anti-glycolipid antibodies and myelin-associated proteins, but further research is needed for specific disease indicators.