DNA-bound proteins released from traps cast by neutrophils, a type of immune cell, may help predict which lupus nephritis patients are most likely to respond to treatment two years after a renal (kidney) flare, a study indicates. Those with higher levels of Elastase-DNA and HMGB1-DNA were…
Zhijian “James” Chen, PhD recently was awarded the 2018 Lurie Prize in Biomedical Sciences by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) for his discovery of how DNA stimulates immune responses, potentially causing autoimmune diseases like lupus. The Lurie Prize in Biomedical Sciences will be presented to…
Idera Pharmaceuticals recently presented pre-clinical data on the mechanisms of action behind its antisense (3GA) technology platform, a gene silencing technology whose potential disease indications include, but are not limited to, lupus nephritis. Idera’s 3GA technology specifically silences disease-causing genes using small molecules called oligonucleotides, which offer an improvement over…
Improper clearing of dying cells and elevated levels of RNA and DNA in serum are connected to increased chronic inflammation in autoimmune diseases. In a recent study, researchers at Duke University showed that scavenger molecules that feed on the nucleic acids not only reduce chronic inflammation in mice with lupus, but also…