The development of new drugs to treat systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), in comparison to autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, has been excruciatingly slow. Benlysta (belimumab) is the rare exception, the only SLE drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the past 50 years. A biomarker assay for SLE…
In a recent review, researchers from the Department of Biomedical Engineering of the University of Houston discussed promising advances in noninvasive biomarker detection in patients with lupus, a disease whose diagnosis has typically been confirmed through a very invasive renal biopsy. The review was titled “Protein Arrays for Biomarker Discovery in…
According to a new study by physicians at Loyola University Medical Center, diseases such as lupus that cause rashes and other skin conditions can also trigger severe neurological problems — ranging from migraine headaches to double vision and epileptic seizures to strokes. The study, titled “Acquired Neurocutaneous Disorders,” was published…
Neovacs recently announced that it has signed an exclusive licensing contract granting Chong Kun Dang (CKD) Pharmaceutical Corp. of Seoul the right to market IFNα-Kinoïd, Neovacs’ anti-interferon alpha (IFNα) therapeutic vaccine being developed for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), in South Korea. Lupus is considered an orphan disease in South…
Lupuzor, a non-immunosuppressant therapy for lupus created by Dr. Sylviane Muller’s team at the CNRS Immunopathologie et Chimie Thérapeutique laboratory, is progressing to a Phase 3 clinical trial, the last stage before possible market approval. Several American and European physicians and investigators recently gathered in Paris to discuss the launch of…
Systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) results from a mistaken response of the body’s immune system against healthy tissue affecting several organs such as skin, kidneys and brain. The underlying causes of SLE remain unknown although several evidences point towards an important role of gut microbes, also known as gut microbiota. Researchers…
A recent review summarized the current knowledge on how unbalanced T-cell signaling characterizes systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease. The review study, titled “Disturbed T Cell Signaling and Altered Th17 and Regulatory T Cell Subsets in the Pathogenesis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus,” was published in the journal Frontiers in…
Deficiency of a specific form of vitamin D (25(OH)D3) is associated with and independently predicts worse cognitive function in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, according to a study in the journal PLOS One. The report is titled “25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 Deficiency Independently Predicts Cognitive Impairment in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.” SLE…
ImmunArray, a molecular diagnostics company developing blood-based tests to support the diagnosis and management of acute and chronic immune and neurodegenerative diseases, has announced that it is making its “rule-out” test for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) available throughout the United States. The company’s SLE-key Rule-Out Test® is a cost-effective blood test…
New research found that a specific set of immune cells named plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), long believed to cause lupus disease, actually did not contribute to late-stage lupus in a mice model. The paper, which has potential implications for future disease treatment, was published in The Journal of Immunology and is titled…