News

Merck KGaA announced that it will present two posters showing positive clinical data for its drug candidate atacicept, a recombinant fusion protein for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The presentations will take place at the 2016 American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ACR/ARHP) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., which opens on Friday and runs through…

Scientists found a natural protein in immune cells, called CD72, that prevents the abnormal and damaging immune responses characteristic of autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Findings in the study, “CD72 negatively regulates B lymphocyte responses to the lupus-related endogenous toll-like receptor 7 ligand Sm/RNP,” recently published in The…

We love food. We salivate over it as we watch television commercials, spend hours enjoying it as we dine out with friends and family. And, if we fancy ourselves chefs, we spend time pouring over new recipes and finding new flavors. Still, we don’t always take into…

An independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) established by Biotest has recommended the company begin part 2 of its Phase 2a clinical study assessing BT-063, a monoclonal antibody for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The DSMB recommendation follows positive interim results. Study 990 (NCT02554019) is a Phase 2…

The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), an independent non-profit biomedical research institute, will enter a new research collaboration with Eisai, an oncology and neurology-oriented pharmaceutical, to study the genetics of lupus. In lupus patients, the immune system becomes unbalanced and attacks the body’s own tissues. This might lead…

Selexis recently signed an agreement that grants ImmuNext access to the company’s cell lines in order to advance an antibody being developed to treat systemic lupus erythematosus and other autoimmune conditions. Geneva-based Selexis focuses on the development of specific mammalian cells, called CHO-K1, which are adapted to growth in suspension. The cell lines which…

The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) announced the launch of its latest crowdfunding campaign to raise money for lupus research: The “Cut it Out” 14-day challenge to end lupus. A diagnosis of lupus can be life-altering. Many patients are seriously affected by their disrupted lifestyle following diagnosis. The name…

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals announced that it will present positive data from its Phase 2b clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of voclosporin for the treatment of lupus nephritis, showing that the study had met and confirmed its primary endpoint of complete remission in a statistically significant number of treated patients. The data…

The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA)  recently honored Richard A. Rosenbaum, the executive chairman of the law firm Greenberg Traurig, with the Hope Award, based on the firm’s “generosity and long-standing support of lupus research and education,” according to a press release. The award was presented at the foundation’s Evening of Hope Gala in…

The Lupus Research Alliance awarded a Target Identification in Lupus grant to a team of investigators led by Kerstin Nündel, PhD, of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, to fund their research projects on the disease. The $574,000 three-year grant will be used to study how a type of…