In recent years, successful new candidate serum biomarkers have been identified for SSc-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD), including surfactant protein D (SP-D), Krebs von den Lungen 6 glycoprotein (KL-6), CCL18 and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) (45, 46). Here, SFTPD is linked to interstitial lung disease.