August 13, 2021 – 4:45 PM The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted unanimously to recommend, and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD subsequently approved, that people with moderately to severely weakened immune systems receive a third dose of the COVID-19 Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. The CDC defined the […] READ MORE
August 13, 2021 As you have probably heard on the news, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted late last night Emergency Use Authorization of a booster third dose of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for “some people who are immunocompromised — specifically, solid organ transplant recipients or those who are diagnosed with conditions that are considered […] READ MORE
August 12, 2021 In two recent studies, researchers found that the four COVID-19 vaccines are well-tolerated in lupus patients. Given that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are the first mRNA vaccines currently authorized for the emergency use in people, lupus researchers have since worked to answer questions specifically about potential side effects and whether these […] READ MORE
Research Funded by the Lupus Research Alliance Published in Today’s “Cell” NEW YORK, NY August 11. Pediatric lupus expert Virginia Pascual, MD together with her junior colleague Simone Caielli, PhD and their team at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York identified problems in the red blood cells of children with active Systemic Lupus Erythematosus […] READ MORE
August 2, 2021 Dear Friend of the Lupus Research Alliance, As we reported this morning, the lupus community has much to celebrate with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of anifrolumab-fnia (brand name, Saphnelo™). As a first-in-class and only new treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus in a decade, this approval marks a major […] READ MORE
First in New Class of Drugs in More than a Decade for SLE Targeting Type 1 Interferons NEW YORK, NY. August 2, 2021. The Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) is particularly excited about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of anifrolumab-fnia (Saphnelo™), a first-in-class type I interferon receptor antagonist indicated for adults with […] READ MORE
July 29, 2021 A new study showed that people with lupus experienced significant physical and emotional effects in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Including LRA Scientific Advisory Board member Jane Salmon, MD, researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery and Tufts University in Boston invited 97 patients to complete a questionnaire in the […] READ MORE
August 5, 2021 Researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital identified the series of molecules that guide a sub-set of immune cells, which may be key for future vaccine improvements and autoimmune therapies. These findings, published online July 7, 2021 in Nature, were funded in part by the Lupus Research Alliance (LRA). The immune system […] READ MORE
July 22, 2021 Leslie Meehan has lupus, but she is running the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon for her mom and all the others she knows who live with the many different forms of the disease. “Raising money for research is the best way I can help everyone.” Leslie continued, “One of the reasons […] READ MORE
July 22, 2021 Why is lupus so tough to treat? Why is it so difficult to test possible new treatments in a clinical trial? Why are so many people needed for a clinical trial to prove effectiveness? And how does LRA intend to Turn Lupus Complexity to Cure? The answers lie at the core of […] READ MORE
July 15, 2021 Dear Friends, With much excitement, we introduce our new overarching approach to fulfilling LRA’s mission: Turning Complexity to Cure. Our goal is to involve the lupus community and beyond in our strategy to turn the core problem of lupus – its heterogeneity – how much it differs from person to person – into its solution through […] READ MORE
July 12, 2021 Today the House Appropriations Committee released the fiscal year 2022 Defense Appropriations Bill with $10 million for the Lupus Research Program (LRP) in the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs operated under the Defense Health Program. We are thankful that Congress maintained the funding for this program, and we remain committed to advocating for steady and robust investment for this critical […] READ MORE
