Damage to small tubes in the kidneys and the tissue that surrounds them is a strong predictor that lupus nephritis patients will develop an end-stage renal disease, a New York study indicates. The research, which appeared in the journal Seminars in Arthritis & Rheumatism, was titled “…
A new study suggests that the protein Nogo-a, known to limit the recovery of neurons after injury, is involved in the development of neurophsychiatric lupus (NPSLE).
Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus have an increased risk for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases — a risk that they share with patients who have other chronic inflammatory conditions, according to a study published in the journal Heart. Those taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids appeared to have a particularly…
A European initiative called SHARE has issued new international guidelines for the diagnosis, management, and treatment of childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE). The recommendations are expected to support uniform, high-quality care for children with the disease. The study, “European evidence-based recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of childhood-onset…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug status to the investigative therapy blisibimod for the treatment of immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN), according to Anthera Pharmaceuticals, the drug’s developer. IgAN, or Berger’s disease, is the main cause of primary glomerulonephritis — inflammation of the kidneys — associated with…
Re-engineering a class of immune cells called dendritic cells (DCs) toward self-tolerance for many of the antigens underlying systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may be a potential therapeutic approach to treat lupus patients and other autoimmune diseases, according to a recent study. Findings from the study, “Autologous tolerogenic dendritic…
In a novel approach to better understand factors affecting clinical trials, researchers conducted clinical trial simulations focusing on African-American and lower-income populations. Almost half of all clinical trials are unable to recruit their target sample size. Additionally, dropout of patients during the trial can be as high as 30 percent.
Twenty-four people with lupus and other autoimmune disorders who signed up for a Phase 1 clinical trial of KY1005 are receiving the antibody therapy, according to its maker, Kymab. KY1005 addresses the underlying immune system imbalance in people with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. A protein called OX40 triggers a prolonged immune…
Some of the self-reactive antibodies produced in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were found to neutralize HIV, the virus responsible for causing AIDS, thus protecting patients from the disease. The findings help explain why SLE patients show lower levels of HIV-1 infection and shed light on ways to promote the production…
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved GSK’s new Benlysta subcutaneous formulation. With the approval, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) patients will now be able self-inject Benlysta once weekly. In 2011, the FDA approved a formulation of Benlysta that was injectable by healthcare professionals to patients as a weight-based dose…