In a recent review paper entitled “Defects in germinal center selection in SLE”, published in Frontiers in Immunology, the authors discuss the mechanisms leading to a deficient selection of auto-reactive B cells in lymph nodes of patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). Systemic…
NEOVACS, a leading biotechnology company focused on an active immunotherapy technology platform (Kinoids) with applications in autoimmune and/or inflammatory diseases, announced it has been granted initial approvals by regulatory agencies and ethics committees in several countries in the European Union for a Phase IIb clinical study of investigational IFNα-Kinoid for patients…
Pregnant women with lupus (a rheumatic autoimmune condition) have an increased risk of transmitting the condition to their newborns, especially if they have lupus or Sjögren’s syndrome along with antibodies to SSA/Ro and/or SSB/La proteins. According to Dr. Jill P. Buyon, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Division of Rheumatology at NYU,…
The American College of Rheumatology’s (ACR) The Lupus Initiative (TLI) has awarded a one-year, $500,000 grant from the Office of Minority Health (OMH) to expand its established, national education program with development of an evidence-based program model aimed at improved health outcomes for people with lupus living…
Janus Biotherapeutics (Janus), a Boston, Massachusetts based autoimmunity therapeutics company dedicated to development of novel, orally available compounds for treating autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Sjogren’s syndrome, psoriasis, and scleroderma, have announced their entry into a collaboration with multinational pharma firm Roche…
XTL Biopharmaceuticals Ltd., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition, development, and commercialization of pharmaceutical products for the treatment of unmet clinical needs, recently announced the results of a Phase 2b study on the efficacy and safety of its investigational drug candidate, hCDR1 (Edratide) for the treatment of systemic lupus…
Results from a study recently published in the journal Arthritis Care and Research showed that the lower extremity strength or weakness of women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was predictive of later higher or lower functional status but was unrelated to grip strength. Evidence showed that reduced…
Optimizing clinical care for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) starts with understanding how disease activity affects health-related quality of life. Unless patients are able to report on their feelings and symptoms, clinicians are unable to determine how best to help their patients. Further, unless researchers determine how patients’ symptoms…
In a new study entitled “Treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus patients with the BAFF antagonist “peptibody” blisibimod (AMG 623/A-623): results from randomized, double-blind phase 1a and phase 1b trials” authors determined the safety, tolerability and efficacy of blisibimod, a B cell-activating factor antagonist, in patients with systemic…
Osteoporosis, a disease of low bone mass, can occur secondary to diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). While SLE itself does not seem to cause osteoporosis, chronic inflammation and long-term treatment with glucocorticoids can play a major role in inducing osteoporosis. In particular, it was shown in the article,…