Scientists have identified a number of proteins in the urine with high diagnostic accuracy for identifying kidney involvement in people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Such biomarkers may enable the earlier identification of lupus nephritis, a serious manifestation of SLE that can cause kidney failure, thus allowing for faster interventions…
MyLupus, a new mobile phone app that’s meant to be used between doctor visits, was designed to help people with moderate to severe lupus make more-educated healthcare decisions. The free application was developed by a team of scientists — including rheumatologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)…
When the protein TLR7, or toll-like receptor 7 — which normally triggers an immune response against viruses and bacteria — instead builds up in immune cells, the immune system may turn against its own body and cause systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a study has found. The study, “Disrupted…
Scientists have created small molecules that can block the activity of SLC15A4, an inflammatory protein — long considered undruggable — that’s known to play a central role in driving lupus and other autoimmune diseases. Further, the team showed that these molecules could reduce inflammation in lupus patient cells and…
China’s regulatory body has given Gracell Biotechnologies the green light to launch a Phase 1/2 clinical trial testing GC012F, an experimental dual-targeting CAR T-cell therapy, in people with difficult-to-treat systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The decision by China’s National Medical Products Administration comes shortly after the U.S. Food and…
A combination of Lupkinis (viclosporin) with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) was the most effective at managing lupus nephritis, according to a systematic review of clinical trial data. The treatment was also associated with the highest risk of infections and serious infections, indicating a lower safety profile than other immunosuppressive…
A first person has been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial of VENT-03, Ventus Therapeutics’ oral treatment candidate for lupus and other inflammatory diseases. VENT-03 is an inhibitor of cGAS, a protein whose activation has been implicated in lupus and other autoimmune diseases. “cGAS has historically proven an…
The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) will use a three-year federal grant — worth up to $500,000 per year — to continue efforts to increase the number of Black lupus patients in the U.S. who participate in clinical trials. The grant, which runs from September 2023 to September…
Men with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are more likely to experience kidney failure and heart attacks, while women with SLE are at higher risk of other symptoms, such as skin problems and arthritis, according to a new study. “Generally, our study suggests that men have the same spectrum of…
Among people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), those who develop pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), or high blood pressure in the vessels that supply the lungs, appear to be younger at diagnosis and have more severe disease, a study in Japan has found. In SLE patients with PAH, immune-suppressing glucocorticoids…