News

Researchers are learning how signals about disease-related inflammatory activity are sent from the body to the brain — insight that could lead to manipulating nerves to treat autoimmune conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus. A team at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York discovered that different immune…

Researchers analyzed blood samples from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and found supportive evidence that SLE enhances anemia by promoting the suicidal death of red blood cells. The study “Eryptosis as an Underlying Mechanism in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus-Related Anemia” was published in the journal Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry.

You’ve probably heard of the book 50 Shades of Grey and you’ve more than likely figured out that it is code for “50 Shades of F’ed Up.” Interestingly enough, that phrase truly describes my being diagnosed and  having to live with lupus. Every day is a different shade of…

Most lupus patients who added Benlysta (belimumab) to their treatment regimen improved, according to research in Germany. Seventy-eight percent of the systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients in the study showed improved health after six months of Benlysta treatment, doctors said. In addition, 42 percent of patients reported feeling better.

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals and Lonza have entered into a long-term manufacturing agreement over the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in voclosporin, Aurinia’s investigative drug for diseases that include lupus nephritis (LN). The agreement aims toward providing an eventual commercial supply of voclosporin, and includes its use in an upcoming and possibly pivotal clinical trial in LN…

Researchers have uncovered genetic differences explaining why autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, affect women more than men. And opposed to what earlier research suggested, the mechanisms are unrelated to sex hormones. The findings indicate that it may be crucial for scientists to study male and female disease separately.

Measuring the levels of a protein called epidermal growth factor — a promising kidney biomarker — in patients with lupus may help distinguish patients with kidney involvement from those without, according to researchers at the University of Michigan. Their findings were presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney…

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced that it has filed a New Drug Application with Japan’s regulatory health agency requesting that belimumab — widely known under the brand name Benlysta — be approved to treat adults with active, autoantibody-positive, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, lupus) who do not respond to standard therapy. GSK seeks approval…

A new research study exploring the effects of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) on hearing, cognition, and language is calling for volunteers. The study, to be conducted at the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders of East Stroudsburg University, aims to better understand both these…

The immune factor interferon-lambda may be a key driver of lupus nephritis, according to a recent study that showed persistently high levels of the factor were linked to a poor response to treatment. The study, “Interferon (IFN)-λ is a potential mediator in lupus nephritis,” was published in the journal …