Blood levels of an immune system protein called sBCMA were found elevated in untreated children with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) compared with treated patients and healthy children in China. That’s according to a recent study, which also found that sBCMA levels declined after treatment. Higher levels of the…
An enzyme called fumarate hydratase is involved in the control of the inflammatory activity of macrophages, a type of immune cell with a central role in driving inflammatory disorders like lupus, researchers report. “No-one has made a link from Fumarate Hydratase to inflammatory macrophages before and we feel that…
People who are positive for two types of autoantibodies at the time of their systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) diagnosis have a higher risk of disease flares, a new study reports. Compared with people who were negative, those positive for autoantibodies against double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and the Smith protein (Sm)…
A failure of tingible body macrophages (TBMs), a type of immune cell tasked with cleaning up its environment, might play a role in the development of autoimmune diseases like lupus, according to a recent study. These cells have long been poorly understood due to technical challenges in identifying them…
A middle dose of rezpegaldesleukin, an experimental medicine being developed by Nektar Therapeutics, led to clinically meaningful gains in measures of disease activity in people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). That’s according to top-line data from ISLAND (NCT04433585), a Phase 2 clinical study that evaluated how safe…
The activity of a class of immune signaling proteins known as type I interferons — called IFN-1 — was markedly high in the bloodstream of people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) before treatment, a study reported. Such elevated IFN-1 activity was not seen in patients with various other autoimmune…
Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a reduced response to COVID-19 vaccination, an effect made worse by specific immunosuppressive treatments, a recent study reports. A reduced response was demonstrated by lower levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) against the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. IgG…
People with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a unique mix of bacteria on their tongue compared with healthy people, according to a Chinese study. Bacteria diversity correlated with disease activity, but also with recovery after treatment. The findings suggest oral bacteria “may be a therapeutic target for exploring new…
New measures are needed to assess disease severity in lupus in clinical trials, a study highlights. One important goal in developing such measures is to include patient-reported outcomes — which, according to the study authors, are now not used in most clinical trials assessing the effectiveness of new treatments.
Black people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are at a higher risk of developing heart disease — especially in the early years after their diagnosis — compared with non-Black patients, a new U.S. study found. The risk of cardiovascular disease or CVD was particularly elevated in the first 12…