News

5 young scientists win Lupus Foundation of America support

The Lupus Foundation of America has announced this year’s winners of the Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program, designed to support students working in lupus research. Each award, worth $4,000, includes mentorship by an experienced researcher in the field of lupus. Winners, all young scientists, are pursuing…

Research Alliance awards team $3M to study pediatric lupus nephritis

The Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) has awarded a $3-million grant to a multidisciplinary research group working to identify drivers of lupus nephritis, a serious complication of lupus characterized by kidney damage, in children with the autoimmune disease. Elena Hsieh, MD, an associate professor at the University of Colorado…

Study IDs risk factors for severe lupus flares in patients in Iran

Younger age, greater disease activity, and a history of kidney involvement are significant predictors of severe disease flares among people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a study in Iran has found. The findings suggest that patients with these risk factors “may need closer monitoring and follow-up” to better manage…

Horizon: Phase 2 trial of daxdilimab in SLE fails to meet main goal

A Phase 2 clinical trial assessing the safety and effectiveness of daxdilimab for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) didn’t show a statistically significant difference between the experimental therapy and a placebo regarding the proportion of patients who showed signs of reduced disease activity while lowering their daily corticosteroid dose. The…

Lupus Research Alliance gives awards to 5 minority researchers

The Lupus Research Alliance has named the winners of this year’s Awards to Promote Diversity in Lupus Research, all from underrepresented minority groups who are interested in studying lupus. Four researchers were selected to receive a Career Development Award, which provides up to $600,000 over four years to…

Germany approves Phase 1/2 trial of KYV-101 for lupus nephritis

Kyverna Therapeutics is planning to launch a Phase 1/2 trial in Germany to test KYV-101, its investigational cell therapy for lupus nephritis, a lupus complication characterized by kidney damage. The study was approved by the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), which is responsible for examining clinical trials of investigational…

Dosing begins in Phase 2b trial for SLE therapy ESK-001

A Phase 2b clinical trial of ESK-001, an oral treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), has begun dosing patients, according to its developer Alumis. The trial, called LUMUS, is expected to enroll about 388 adults with moderately to severely active SLE who test positive for self-reactive antibodies (autoantibodies).

Trethera wins grant to develop SLE treatment candidate TRE-515

Trethera will use a $0.6 million Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant to advance TRE-515, its lead candidate for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The grant comes from the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), from which the company…