Hutchison China MediTech Limited (Chi-Med) recently announced that its R&D subsidiary Hutchison MediPharma (HMP) has completed its Phase I study of HMPL-523, a potential global first-in-class oral inhibitor targeting the spleen tyrosine kinase Syk, a key protein involved in B-cell signaling. Modulation of the B-cell signaling pathway has proven to significantly advance…
Researchers at the UT Southwestern Medical center in Dallas, TX have discovered that activating a specific enzyme, cGAS, can sound an alarm for the body’s innate immune system, leading to the development of Aicardi-Goutieres Syndrome (AGS) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in mice while inhibiting this enzyme leads to their rescue. The research paper,…
The Lupus Initiative (TLI) of The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) was awarded a five-year grant by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The money will go to supporting development of a national, grassroots program aiming to target individuals with undiagnosed lupus, care providers, and rheumatology healthcare providers. From a diagnostic…
The promise that the field of biomarkers hold for earlier diagnosis and hence superior treatment of systemic autoimmune diseases were the focus of a recent review in Drug Discovery & Development. Systemic autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjögren’s syndrome (SjS), polymyositis/dermatomyositis, and systemic sclerosis (SSc) are disorders…
Transplanted mesenchymal stem cells that can differentiate into several types of cells are known to be beneficial in treating symptoms of lupus disease, though researchers were at a loss as to why. Now, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania, working with collaborators, have shed light on the mechanisms of bone protection provided by this therapy,…
On Wednesday, October 21, 2015, the Lupus Foundation of America honored several key supporters of the fight against systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) at the Evening of Hope New York City Gala. The efforts of Alan Siegel, President and Chief Executive Officer, Siegelvision; Fran Tsimoyianis, Executive Assistant, Office of the Chairman, Hudson’s Bay Company;…
The upcoming and highly anticipated Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic Diseases: Physiology and Gender conference, set to take place November 17–20 in Annapolis, Maryland, will be hosted by the American Physiology Society — one of the country’s oldest societies in the field of biomedical sciences, with over 11,000 members and 14 peer-reviewed journals…
Researchers identified that a single nucleotide polymorphism in the sequence of the CD40 gene, a gene with key functions in immune diseases, is associated with susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus. The study entitled “The association of CD40 polymorphisms with CD40 serum levels and risk of systemic lupus erythematosus” was…
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease characterized by a misdirected attack of the immune system against the body’s own organs. Disease origins are quite complex and still not fully understood, hampering SLE’s cure. Due to its systemic nature, SLE causes a wide array of clinical symptoms, complicating its…
The University of Rochester Medical Center’s (UR Medicine) Lupus Clinic is preparing for its ninth annual Lupus Education Day, which is running on Saturday, October 31, 2015, at 3:30 p.m. at the Helen Wood Hall, 255 Crittenden Blvd. Local patients, their loved ones, and caregivers are all invited to this free…