Patients with autoimmune diseases — such as psoriasis, lupus, and arthritis — tend to accumulate collagen, a connective tissue protein, in their blood vessels, which traps cholesterol in arteries and heart tissue, a mouse study has found. These findings begin to explain why these patients have a significantly higher risk for heart…
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients using hydroxychloroquine have a markedly lower risk of a type of abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation than those not being treated with the therapy, according to a retrospective study. The research, “Association of Hydroxychloroquine Use and Incident Atrial Fibrillation in…
A Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating Eli Lilly’s investigational therapy LY3361237 in healthy people has dosed its first participant, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) announced. The treatment is being developed for auto-immune conditions like lupus, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis, where the immune system is overactive and attacks healthy…
Tacrolimus is an effective and safe alternative for the long-term maintenance of lupus nephritis, reducing the need for steroids, in patients who do not respond to other immunosuppressants, a five-year retrospective study shows. The study, “Long-term effects of tacrolimus for maintenance therapy of lupus nephritis: a 5-year retrospective study at a single center,”…
Using Benlysta (belimumab) as a maintenance therapy after Rituxan (rituximab) leads to similar kidney function in patients with lupus nephritis compared with Rituxan alone, according to a Phase 2 clinical trial. The research, “Phase 2 Trial of Induction Therapy with Anti-CD20 (Rituximab) Followed By Maintenance Therapy with Anti-BAFF…
SERPINA3 — a protein involved in inflammation — could serve as an urine indicator of lupus nephritis progression and chronic disease in children, a pilot study suggests. The study, “Discovery of SERPINA3 as a candidate urinary biomarker of lupus nephritis activity,” was published in the journal Rheumatology. Up…
Psychosis is a rare manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) that generally appears early, in the year before or within the first three years after SLE onset. The disorder is generally treatable, with patients fully recovering and rarely relapsing, a large international prospective study shows.
Zostavax, a live attenuated herpes zoster vaccine, is well-tolerated and causes an antibody response in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), who have a significant risk of herpes zoster infection and reactivation, a trial shows. The research, “Safety and Immune Response of a Live Attenuated Herpes…
A single infusion of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) — those that make cells of the cartilage, bone, and fat — decreased the number of auto-reactive immune cells in difficult-to-treat systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, a Phase 1 trial reports. A Phase 2 study of this treatment is now opening in the…
Completion of a second round of funding could help bring closer to market Progentec Diagnostics‘ new tool for predicting lupus flares and a biomarker-based index that monitors underlying disease activity. Funding for Progentec’s biomarker-based diagnostic testing was led by venture capital outfits i2E and OCA Ventures, with…