Author Archives: Andrea Lobo, PhD

AlloNK cell therapy wins FDA fast track status for lupus nephritis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast track status to AlloNK, an experimental natural killer (NK) cell therapy, for treating lupus nephritis, when given in combination with rituximab or obinutuzumab. Fast track status is designed to aid the development and accelerate the review of investigational treatments…

Atara asks FDA to clear ATA3219 for clinical testing in lupus nephritis

Atara Biotherapeutics has submitted an investigational new drug (IND) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for permission to test ATA3219, a CAR T-cell therapy, in clinical trials involving systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with lupus nephritis. CAR T-cell therapies are based on immune T-cells, which…

Lupkinis plus MMF most effective in lupus nephritis; tacrolimus safest

A combination of Lupkinis (viclosporin) with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) was the most effective at managing lupus nephritis, according to a systematic review of clinical trial data. The treatment was also associated with the highest risk of infections and serious infections, indicating a lower safety profile than other immunosuppressive…

NKF launches educational video series for lupus, lupus nephritis

The National Kidney Foundation (NFK) has launched a patient-friendly video series to help patients better understand the association between lupus and lupus nephritis. Marked by kidney inflammation and damage, lupus nephritis is considered to be one of the most severe complications of lupus, since it may compromise the…

Specific autoantibodies can raise cardiovascular disease risk with SLE

Certain self-reactive antibodies, called antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs), significantly increase the risk of a heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular event in people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a study shows. Among aPLS, “we identified that [anticardiolipin antibodies] and lupus anticoagulant positivity are independently associated with [cardiovascular disease], after adjusting…

2 young scientists receive Lupus Foundation grants for research

This year’s winners of the Lupus Foundation of America‘s Gary S. Gilkeson Career Development Award — designed to support early career scientists working on lupus research — will focus their work on areas key to patients with the autoimmune disease: pregnancy and personalized medicine. Both winners are from…

Lupus Therapeutics, AbbVie team up for Phase 3 trial of upadacitinib

Lupus Therapeutics is partnering with AbbVie for the Phase 3 clinical program of upadacitinib for people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). “The partnership with AbbVie will support the accelerated evaluation of upadacitinib as a potential treatment for individuals living with SLE,” Stacie Bell, PhD, Lupus Therapeutics’…

Everest to pay up to $132M for rights to lupus nephritis treatment

In a new deal worth up to $132.5 million, Everest Medicines will have the exclusive right to develop and commercialize zetomipzomib — an experimental treatment for lupus nephritis from Kezar Life Science — in China, South Korea, and other countries in Southeast Asia. Lupus nephritis, or inflammation in the kidneys, is a…

NIDDK awards $3M grant to study using AI to diagnose lupus nephritis

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) has awarded $3 million to a research team that’s using artificial intelligence (AI) to diagnose lupus nephritis, one of the most severe complications of lupus that’s marked by kidney inflammation and damage. The award will support the research…