Author Archives: Lindsey Shapiro

Black SLE patients at 19 times higher risk of early heart disease

Black people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are at a higher risk of developing heart disease — especially in the early years after their diagnosis — compared with non-Black patients, a new U.S. study found. The risk of cardiovascular disease or CVD was particularly elevated in the first 12…

Low Blood Levels of HCQ, Not the Prescribed Dose, Linked to SLE Flares

Low blood levels of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) put people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) at higher risk of experiencing disease exacerbations, or flare-ups, a study has found. “We found that low HCQ blood levels predicted lupus flares,” researchers wrote, noting that low levels can reflect poor treatment adherence but also individual…

Ventus to Advance cGAS Inhibitor as New Treatment for Lupus

Ventus Therapeutics plans to develop a new treatment candidate for lupus and other inflammatory diseases marked by the activation of the type 1 interferon immune system pathway, the company recently announced. Called VENT-03, the investigational treatment will target cGAS, a protein whose activation has been implicated in…

Small Molecule K-7174 Improves Cognitive Function in Lupus Mice

A small molecule called K-7174 was found to ease neuropsychiatric symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a recent study in mice, and even helped to improve cognitive function. Researchers found that treatment with the molecule may protect against neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE) by preserving the selective blood-brain barrier (BBB),…

Lymphatic Dysfunction Found to Play Big Role in SLE Photosensitivity

Reduced lymphatic drainage might explain why skin reactions to sunlight, or photosensitivity, may lead to systemic immune reactions and overall disease flareups in people with systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE), a study suggests. Data showed that the flow of the skin’s lymphatic fluid — which sends cells and molecular signals to…

CAR T-cell Therapy Drives Disease Remission for 5 SLE Patients

A CAR T-cell therapy targeting disease-driving immune cells safely led to sustained disease remission for five people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who’d previously failed to respond to other treatments, a recent study reported. Treatment was also highly specific, preventing autoimmune activity, but didn’t impair general immune system…

Itolizumab Shows Promise For Lupus Nephritis Patients in Early Trial Data

Equillium’s investigational antibody-based treatment, itolizumab (EQ001), led to significant reductions in urine protein levels — a marker of kidney dysfunction — in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with active lupus nephritis, according to an interim analysis from the type B portion of the Phase 1b EQUALISE clinical trial.

Treatments for Lupus May Reduce Response to COVID-19 Vaccination

Antibodies mounted against COVID-19 in the three to six months following vaccination were lower in patients undergoing treatment for lupus than in healthy people, a study has found. Patients with untreated lupus (also called systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE) showed a similar level of antibodies as healthy people. Fewer…