Interferon-kappa (IFN-κ), an immune response regulator, is a key mediator of skin lesions and UV light sensitivity in cutaneous lupus erythematosus patients, a study reports. Its researchers suggest that blocking IFN-κ with a medication used to treat rheumatoid arthritis may be beneficial. The study, “Photosensitivity and type…
Patients participating in Phase 3 clinical trials testing new therapies for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are not necessarily representative of real-world patient populations, according to a new report. Even if the therapies being investigated reach the market, real-world experiences may differ significantly from trial results because many lupus patients…
Skepticism as to whether physicians or other providers should determine one’s health, along with the perception that a medicine is harmful or addictive, help to explain why patients with systemic lupus erythematosus don’t adhere to their medication regimen, a new study shows. Researchers also found that a patient’s age, and…
Baricitinib — a medicine approved in the U.S., Europe, and Japan for rheumatoid arthritis — can significantly improve symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the treatment’s maker, Eli Lilly, and its partner Incyte announced. This is the first completed Phase 2 trial for baricitinib (brand name, Oluminant) in SLE patients, and likely opens the door…
A team of scientists from the University of California San Francisco has developed an innovative technique to genetically engineer genes involved in the body’s immune response. This new approach has the potential to revolutionize the way autoimmune diseases, such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and HIV are treated. …
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill that includes $5 million in funding for the Lupus Research Program at the Department of Defense in 2019. Approval comes on the heels of a vote favoring such funding by members of House Appropriations Committee in June. That House…
Designing therapeutics that block cGAS–STING — a cell-signaling pathway associated with inflammation — could help treat patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, a new study suggests. The study, “Apoptosis-derived membrane vesicles drive the cGAS–STING pathway and enhance type I IFN production in systemic lupus erythematosus,” was published in the journal…
The Lupus Foundation of America and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) are co-funding a five-year, Phase 2 trial that will investigate mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a potential treatment for moderate to severe lupus. The lupus foundation had already announced a $3.8 million five-year grant supporting…
Frequent delays found in diagnosing systemic lupus erythematosus in a large group children were mostly due to mild symptoms at disease onset, while those with evidence of severe and multi-system disease were typically diagnosed in about one month, a study of pediatric lupus patients in Brazil reported. The study, “Characteristics of 1555…
People who have had their appendix surgically removed, particularly younger women, are considerably more likely to develop systemic lupus erythematosus than those who have not had an appendectomy, researchers in Taiwan report. Women under age 50, in fact, were found to be at a 2.3 times greater risk of lupus following this surgery,…