Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies: current insights and future frontiers

Abstract

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies are a group of autoimmune diseases with a broad spectrum of clinical presentations, primarily characterised by immune-mediated muscle injury. Until recently, there was little insight into the pathogenesis of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, which challenged the recognition of the breadth of heterogeneity of this group of diseases as well as the development of new therapeutics. However, the landscape of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies is evolving. In the past decade, advances in diagnostic tools have facilitated an enhanced understanding of the underlying disease mechanisms in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, enabling the expansion of therapeutic trials. The fields of transcriptomics, prot§eomics, and machine learning offer the potential to gain greater insights into the underlying pathophysiology of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. Harnessing insights gained from these sophisticated tools could contribute to the identification of differences at a molecular level among patients, accelerating the development of targeted, tailored therapies. Bolstered by the validation and standardisation of robust outcome measures, many promising therapies are in clinical trial development. Although challenges remain, there is great optimism in the field due to the progress in innovative diagnostics, outcome measures, and therapeutic approaches. In this Review, we discuss the expanding landscape of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies as the frontier of precision medicine becomes imminent.