JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Uveitis is a complex disease, involving inflammation of the iris, ciliary body, and choroid. The Standardisation of Uveitis Nomenclature (SUN) working group has developed classification criteria for 25 of the most common uveitis entities based on a number of descriptor terms. Due to the broad range of causes of uveitis, and the different treatment modalities depending on etiology, investigative aids are vital in expediting accurate diagnosis and management. MicroRNAs, small non-coding RNAs, have exciting potential as biomarkers of disease. They function to alter gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Other biomarkers of inflammatory disease include cytokines and chemokines. With a substantial proportion of uveitis being classified as “idiopathic”, biomarker research may provide important diagnostic clues, and subsequently improve patient outcomes globally. Scoping reviews represent a format for systematically searching the literature. Levac et al. (2010) established a six-step framework for conducting scoping reviews. We will use this, alongside the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines to carry out this research.

Objective:

The aim of this review protocol is to lay the foundation for identifying what biomarkers have been studied in various uveitis subtypes, including cytokines, chemokines, and multiomic data, with particular focus on microRNAs, thus guiding selection of biomarkers which may be of interest in future research.

Methods:

The inclusion criteria are: human subjects with a defined diagnosis of a uveitis subtype, any age, any gender, any ethnicity, any country, any healthcare setting, assessment of molecular biomarkers in uveitis patients (including but not limited to microRNAs, cytokines, chemokines, HLA types, gene variants, multiomics), any sample type (including but not limited to blood, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, aqueous humour, vitreous humour, cerebrospinal fluid, urine), primary research studies, articles in English or with an English translation, published during any year. Exclusion criteria include: animal subjects, studies investigating therapeutics in uveitis only, review articles/letters to the editor, research in progress, non-English papers. Medline, Embase, and Scopus will be searched, with 8th June 2026 being the final search date. Results will be descriptively analysed and presented in the form of a data extraction chart.

Results:

The proposed scoping review is currently in the screening stage. Start date for this project was 6th January 2026. The projected completion date is October 2026. 946 articles were subject to title/abstract screening, using the Covidence software. One reviewer screened all papers, with a second reviewer screening 20% of papers.

Conclusions:

The findings from this scoping review will highlight the broad range of molecular biomarkers currently studied in uveitis and identify gaps in the field, guiding selection of biomarkers, with a particular focus on microRNAs, for future laboratory analysis in our research group. Clinical Trial: The protocol for this scoping review is registered with the Open Science Framework (OSF) at https://osf.io/n5hjr/overview.