Lupus Research Alliance News

March 19, 2019 A new study published in Lupus showed that mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is comparable in effectiveness to the standard treatment intravenous cyclophosphamide (IVCYC) for lupus nephritis in pediatric patients. The study compared response to treatment, kidney damage, time needed to result in inactive lupus nephritis and disease flares. Of the 51 patients studied, […] READ MORE

Thanks to the Lupus Research Alliance Team Life Without Lupus, with runners who pounded the pavements at the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon on Sunday to raise funds for lupus research. Every one of those 13.1 miles bring us closer in the journey to Life Without Lupus – their invaluable steps brought the Team’s fundraising […] READ MORE

A new study funded by the Lupus Nephritis Trials Network with support from the Lupus Research Alliance has proposed a set of standardized measures that promise to improve the way clinical trials in lupus nephritis (LN) are structured and how clinical researchers report their results. The findings will also help researchers in their search for […] READ MORE

A new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Lupus shows that lupus can cause damage to the peripheral nervous system (nerves throughout the body outside of the brain and spinal cord). Researchers from several hospitals in Italy analyzed medical records of 1224 lupus patients. Involvement of the peripheral nervous system was seen in 6.9% of […] READ MORE

NEW YORK, NY. March 14, 2019.  The Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) and the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) today released the insightful report, Addressing the Challenges of Clinical Research Participation Among Populations Disproportionately Impacted by Lupus. The report presents findings and actionable recommendations ranging in scope that can be implemented by any individual or group seeking […] READ MORE

March 11, 2019 A new study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology by many top lupus clinicians found that a frailty index (FI) provides a novel measure of health among people with lupus.  Constructed using data from the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) group, the FI also predicts risk of mortality. The Systemic Lupus Erythematosus […] READ MORE

NEW YORK, NY. March 6.  Depleting the number of harmful B cells with a novel immunotherapy that employs modified T cells may offer an effective strategy to treat lupus, according to a new study funded by the Lupus Research Alliance. These findings offer a renewed optimism for the elimination of B cells to provide a […] READ MORE

New York, NY– March 1.  The Lupus Research Alliance and its affiliate, Lupus Therapeutics announced a collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, to evaluate the investigational biologic TAK-079 as a potential new therapy for lupus in a Phase 1 trial (NCT03724916).  The national study will be conducted in 20 research centers throughout the country, many […] READ MORE

February 28, 2019 NEW YORK, NY. As a co-sponsor of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) public-private Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP), the Lupus Research Alliance is proud to share the project’s five-year achievements reported in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery.  In the article, NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins points to new technology standards AMP created for […] READ MORE

February 28, 2019 Proteins of the immune system, known as type I interferons, are responsible in part for manifestations of lupus. For this reason, type I interferons are a very attractive target for lupus drug development. In 2015, excitement surrounded the release of positive phase II data with anifrolumab, a therapeutic antibody that blocks type […] READ MORE

February 28, 2019 The biotechnology company Equillium Inc. just announced plans for a Phase 1 study to test the investigational monoclonal antibody EQ001 as a potential treatment for lupus nephritis (LN) that has not responded to existing treatment. The basis for this study is in part due to work conducted by Dr. Chandra Mohan that […] READ MORE

NEW YORK, NY. February 19. Pieces of bacteria that escape from the intestines may trigger lupus and associated disease flares in some patients, according to a new study partly funded by the Lupus Research Alliance. These findings may allow disease treatment with probiotics or diets that alter the mix of bacterial species in the intestines. […] READ MORE