A new study suggests that the protein Nogo-a, known to limit the recovery of neurons after injury, is involved in the development of neurophsychiatric lupus (NPSLE).
Re-engineering a class of immune cells called dendritic cells (DCs) toward self-tolerance for many of the antigens underlying systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may be a potential therapeutic approach to treat lupus patients and other autoimmune diseases, according to a recent study. Findings from the study, “Autologous tolerogenic dendritic…
Umbilical cord-derived stem cells failed to improve lupus patients’ impaired kidney function, according to a small clinical trial in China whose results contrasted with previous studies. The research, “A randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of allogeneic umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell for lupus nephritis,“ was published in Annals of…
A study has identified several predictors of poor pregnancy outcomes in women with lupus, including disease flares less than six months before conception and use of immunosuppressants. The research, “Predictors of poor obstetric outcome in women with systemic lupus erythematosus: a 10-year experience of a university hospital,”…
Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) showed clinically significant improvement and a significant decrease in their use of anti-inflammatory glucocorticoids after six months of treatment with Benlysta (belimumab), the Canadian OBSErve study showed. The study results also highlight a care gap in real-world clinical settings, as more than 40 percent of physicians did not…
Portuguese researchers discovered a new cellular mechanism that may explain how lupus and other autoimmune diseases develop. Their study, “T follicular helper and T follicular regulatory cells have different TCR specificity,” appeared in the journal Nature Communications. The immune system offers protection from pathogens and diseased cells.
The Lupus Research Alliance has chosen its Novel Research Grant Class of 2017, which consists of 10 projects that represent innovative approaches in lupus-treatment development. “Standing on a 16-year foundation of documented success, the Novel Research Grants bring new insight and untried directions to the complexities of lupus,” Margaret Dowd, the…
Scientists at Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center have discovered a small molecule that can significantly ameliorate symptoms in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients who carry a defective CD11b protein. The findings suggest that pharmacologic activation of CD11b is a potential new therapeutic strategy for SLE. The study, “CD11b…
Certain variations in immune-system genes may be associated with an increased risk of Caucasians developing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), according to a study The research, “Association between C4, C4A, and C4B copy number variations and susceptibility to autoimmune diseases: a meta-analysis,” was published in Scientific Reports. The immune system…
Reactive oxygen species in cells’ mitochondria trigger an immune response widely detected in patients with lupus, researchers have discovered. The finding suggests the potential for a new therapeutic avenue to ameliorate the effects of the chronic autoimmune disease. The study, “Reactive oxygen species induce virus-independent MAVS oligomerization in…