News

A new type of functional magnetic resonance imaging — called 3D arterial spin labeling (3D-ASL) — that measures blood flow in the brain may help in the early detection of lupus affecting the brain, a study suggests. The study, “Cerebral blood flow abnormalities in neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus,”…

Adding anifrolumab to standard-of-care treatment led to a clinically meaningful reduction in disease activity at week 52 in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), according to top-line results of a Phase 3 trial. The TULIP 2 study (NCT02446899) assessed the safety and efficacy of AstraZeneca’s anifrolumab in…

The Lupus Foundation of America’s (LFA) Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program aims to cultivate the next generation of lupus researchers. This year, six new members are well on their way. The students’ projects focus on scientific areas including genetics, lupus nephritis, disease education, and…

Hoth Therapeutics and Zylö Therapeutics entered into an agreement to jointly develop an endocannabinoid-based treatment for cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), a lupus subtype that affects the skin. Endocannabinoids are cannabis-like molecules naturally produced by the human body, with similar effects to that of medical marijuana. The agreement gives Hoth an…

Exagen is teaming up with a research lab at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine (UW Medicine) to better understand the workings of the immune system in lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. The collaboration involves the lab of Christian Lood, PhD, an assistant professor in the division…

Many women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) stop taking their medications when they become pregnant, even though taking these medications is recommended for the health of the pregnancy, a study has found. The study, “Patterns of medication use before, during and after pregnancy in women with…

Autoantibodies targeting certain regulatory RNAs — molecules that serve as the template for protein production — in the brains of lupus patients are unique to these people and involved in neuropsychiatric symptoms of the disease, a study reports. The study, “Neuronal BC RNA transport impairments caused by systemic lupus erythematosus autoantibodies,”…

In conditions with complicated diagnostic processes, like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), research done using healthcare databases may be affected by tentative diagnoses, a study reports. Using an Estonian database, researchers found that only 60% of people with a diagnostic code for SLE actually had the condition, as confirmed…

Abnormal blood pressure patterns during sleep and overall high blood pressure may independently predict cardiovascular disease in patients with juvenile-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (JSLE), according to a recent update on research supported by the Lupus Foundation of America. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients have an increased risk…

Provention Bio has dosed the first lupus patient enrolled in the Phase 1b/2 trial testing the safety and pharmaceutical properties of its experimental B-cell-targeted therapy PRV-3279. Results from the first part of the PREVAIL study, done in healthy volunteers, are expected for the first half of 2020.