News

Lupus Biomarkers Advancing to Detect Disease at Earlier Stages

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…

Skin Diseases Like Lupus May Trigger Severe Neurological Ills

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…

Potential Lupus Immunotherapy Gains a Marketing Partner for South Korea

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…

Promising Lupus Therapy Beginning Phase 3 Clinical Testing

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…

Lupus: Can Gut Microbes Make a Difference?

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…

SLE Pathogenesis and Imbalances in T-cell Signaling

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…

Cognitive Impairment in SLE May Be Predicted by Vitamin D Deficiency

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…

Blood Test to ‘Rule Out’ Lupus Now Widely Available in US

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…

Cells Thought to Cause Lupus May Not Affect Its Later Progression

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…

Genetic Tie to Lupus Triggers Found in African-Americans

Environmental factors, like the DNA sequence itself, can alter the way genes are read. These differences, known as epigenetics, may contribute to differences in lupus susceptibility among individuals. Here, a research team at the University of Michigan investigated whether these differences could explain a higher tendency to develop lupus in people of…