News

Clinical testing of cell-based NKX019 in lupus nephritis to begin

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Nkarta’s request to launch a clinical trial in the U.S. to test its experimental therapy NKX019 in people with lupus nephritis, a lupus complication marked by kidney inflammation and damage. The multi-center, dose-escalation study will assess the safety and clinical…

CAR T-cell therapy IMPT-514 gets FDA fast track designation for lupus

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast track designation to IMPT-514, a CAR T-cell therapy being developed by Immpact Bio for people with active, treatment-resistant lupus nephritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Lupus nephritis is a serious complication of lupus characterized by kidney inflammation.

Greater use of Benlysta, Saphnelo seen in US, EU to treat lupus

In both the U.S. and Europe, clinicians want to limit treatment with glucocorticoids — steroid hormones whose long-term use for autoimmune diseases is tied to serious side effects — among people with moderate to severe lupus. To that end, healthcare professionals are increasingly prescribing biological therapies like Benlysta…

UC San Diego gifted $1.6M to enhance lupus research, care

A $1.6 million gift from business executive William J. Wolfe and his family will establish the Wolfe Lupus Research Fund at the University of California (UC) San Diego to advance lupus research and patient care. Wolfe, a longtime lupus community supporter, is a board member of the Lupus…

COVID-19 immune cell vaccine eases SLE symptoms in girl: Report

A personalized vaccine kit designed to prevent COVID-19 infection eased systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) manifestations in an adolescent girl in Indonesia whose symptoms had not been well-controlled with immunosuppressive therapies, a study showed. Researchers believe that while the therapy was not specifically targeted for SLE, it helped the girl…

Everest to pay up to $132M for rights to lupus nephritis treatment

In a new deal worth up to $132.5 million, Everest Medicines will have the exclusive right to develop and commercialize zetomipzomib — an experimental treatment for lupus nephritis from Kezar Life Science — in China, South Korea, and other countries in Southeast Asia. Lupus nephritis, or inflammation in the kidneys, is a…

LFA self-management care program for lupus gets free mobile app

The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) has launched a free mobile application, or app, for its virtual Strategies to Embrace Living with Lupus Fearlessly self-care program — dubbed SELF — for adults in the U.S. with the chronic autoimmune disorder. The SELF program, available online, offers tips…

NIDDK awards $3M grant to study using AI to diagnose lupus nephritis

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) has awarded $3 million to a research team that’s using artificial intelligence (AI) to diagnose lupus nephritis, one of the most severe complications of lupus that’s marked by kidney inflammation and damage. The award will support the research…

No safety concerns seen one month after dosing with KYV-101 for lupus

No signs of neurotoxicity were seen for 28 days after the first patient in a Phase 1 clinical trial was dosed with KYV-101, Kyverna Therapeutics’ investigational cell therapy for lupus nephritis, a lupus complication marked by kidney damage. A standard 4-week post-infusion observation period in such clinical trials is…