News

6 young scientists awarded LFA fellowship grants for lupus research

The six recipients of Lupus Foundation of America (LFA)’s 2024 fellowships for young scientists will use their awards to study several areas of lupus, ranging from lupus nephritis to the connection between physical activity and physical function in people with the autoimmune disease. The goal of the 40-year-old…

FDA puts CAR T-cell therapy ADI-001 on fast track

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast track designation to CAR T-cell therapy ADI-001 as a potential treatment for lupus nephritis, a lupus complication marked by kidney damage and inflammation. The FDA gives fast track status to experimental treatments that have the potential to fill unmet…

NKT cell activators potential SLE treatment, preclinical data show

GRI Bio announced what it called “encouraging preclinical data” on two systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) treatment candidates. SLE is the most common form of lupus. GRI-0124, an oral small molecule being developed to activate natural killer T-cells, or NKT cells, and keep autoimmune attacks in check eased inflammation…

Dual-target CAR T-cell therapy shows promise for SLE in small trial

A dual-target CAR T-cell therapy from iCell Gene Therapeutics safely led to medication-free disease remission for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients in a small Phase 1 study. For patients with lupus nephritis (LN), a common and serious SLE manifestation involving the kidneys, renal function also was improved. Based…

Combinations of immune proteins drive different SLE symptoms

Different combinations and elevated levels of antiviral immune signaling proteins, called interferons (IFNs), were associated with differences in the symptoms and severity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a study shows. While IFNs are known to play a role in the disease, increases in IFN levels don ‘t explain many…

1st lupus patient treated with off-the-shelf FT819 CAR T-cell therapy

A 27-year-old woman with hard-to-treat systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most common type of lupus, became the first patient treated in an early clinical trial evaluating FT819, Fate Therapeutics’ off-the-shelf CAR T-cell therapy candidate. The Phase 1 study (NCT06308978), taking place at the University of Minnesota Medical…

FDA updates Lupkynis label to include long-term efficacy data

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated the prescribing label for Lupkynis (voclosporin), which is approved to treat a severe manifestation of lupus called lupus nephritis, to include data that shows it continues to safely preserve kidney function for up to three years. The data came…