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Every day we at the Lupus Alliance of America are committed to supporting cutting edge lupus research. All Lupus Research news, whether it be on a new drug being developed, a new discovery in the genetics of lupus, the release of a study or more will be listed on this page for your convenience. This section of our website is updated on a weekly basis, so be sure to check back to see the latest news and developments.

LRI-Funded Study Points To Increased Risk For Lupus in Men: Lupus Research Institute funded researcher Betty Tsao, PhD, at the University of California Los Angeles has discovered that humans - males in particular - with a variant form of the immune receptor gene "Toll Like Receptor 7 (TLR7)" are at increased risk of developing the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus).
UCLA study identifies genetic variation linked to lupus in Asian men: Genes reside along long chains of DNA called chromosomes. UCLA researchers have found that a variation in a gene on the sex chromosome X may enhance an immune response that leads to lupus in men.
Black Women With SLE Develop Cardiovascular Disease At Early Age: A recent study by researchers at Penn State College of Medicine found significant racial disparities in the age of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients at the time of hospital admission for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and CVD-related death.
Overactive Blood Platelets May Play Role in Lupus: Overactive blood platelets could trigger inflammation in those with lupus, but the anti-clotting drug Plavix might ease the painful symptoms of this autoimmune disease, a new study suggests.
Vitamin D Found to Influence Over 200 Genes: Vitamin D Found to Influence Over 200 Genes, highlighting links to disease. The extent to which vitamin D deficiency may increase susceptibility to a wide range of diseases is dramatically highlighted in newly published research. Scientists have mapped the points at which vitamin D interacts with our DNA -- and identified over two hundred genes that it directly influences.
FDA Priority Review Designation for BENLYSTA®: Human Genome Sciences and GlaxoSmithKline Announce FDA Priority Review Designation for BENLYSTA® (belimumab) as a Potential Treatment for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Urine Protein Test Might Help Diagnose Kidney Damage from Lupus: Simple urine tests for four proteins might be able to detect early kidney disease in people with lupus, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in an animal study.
Lupus not identical in twins: Lupus can tell identical twins apart by the distinguishing marks the pairs carry on their DNA.
National Lupus Health Education Program
New drug target for immune diseases discovered: Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found a new mechanism that explains how certain immune cells are activated to create protective antibodies against infections or pathological antibodies such as those present in autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. The research is published online in the September issue of Nature Immunology.
HGS and Lonza announce manufacturing agreeement for Benlysta.: Human Genome Sciences And Lonza Enter Commercial Manufacturing Agreement For BENLYSTA(R), A Potential New Treatment For Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Important news for those with lupus and no Health Insurance: People With Lupus Denied Health Insurance Due To Pre-Existing Condition May Be Able To Obtain Coverage Through Health Care Reform Law Plan
New Research Uncovers Why Many With Lupus Are Resistant to Treatments: New Research Uncovers Why Many With Lupus Are Resistant to Traditional Treatments, Findings Could Lead to Lower Doses of Medication for Lupus Patients, Reducing Serious Side Effects.
Drug targets Lupus by tricking Immune System: Now two companies are working together to attack the disease with an experimental drug that tricks the immune system into behaving more normally.
Clinical Differences In SLE Patients May Be Affected By Genealogy: The effects of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) may differ based on the individual patient's genealogical heritage.
Mouse Model Demonstrates The Immune Cell's Role In Lupus Nephritis: National Institutes of Health scientists have discovered that the activation of immune cells called basophils causes kidney damage in a mouse model of lupus nephritis.
HGS Announces Submission of Marketing Authorization of Benlysta: GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has submitted a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for approval to market BENLYSTA(R) (belimumab) for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Lupus Research Institute Hails Results of CellCept® Trial: The Lupus Research Institute (LRI) and its National Coalition of state and local lupus organizations, of which the Lupus Alliance of America is a member, are very encouraged by trial results released by ViFor Pharma.
New data from EMBLEM study: New data from EMBLEM study shows pipeline drug epratuzumab provided significant efficacy for patients suffering from moderate to severe systemic lupus erythematosus.
LRI Underscores Urgent Need for Research in Pediatric SLE: The Lupus Research Institute (LRI) National Coalition of state and local lupus groups, alarmed at the crucial need for answers to the devastating effects of lupus when diagnosed in the young, is sponsoring key programming in lupus pediatrics at the International Lupus Congress in Vancouver, Canada from June 24 to 27.
HGS and GlaxoSmithKline Report Topline Results on Benlysta: Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI) and GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK) today announced topline secondary endpoints from BLISS-76, the second of two pivotal Phase 3 trials of BENLYSTA™ (belimumab) in seropositive patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Major Report to Congress by Secretary of Health and Human Services: New report resulting from Lupus Research Institute’s congressional advocacy describes state of lupus research, impact of disease, and barriers to care
ACR Partners with HHS for Lupus Initiative: The American College of Rheumatology has announced that it will work in conjunction with the US Department of Health and Human Services' Offices of Minority Health, Women's Health, and the Surgeon General to launch "Eliminating Health Disparities in Lupus" (EHDL), an educational initiative aimed at eliminating ethnic and racial disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of lupus.
Rescue NET For Lupus Patients: Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin together with medical scientists from the University of Erlangen succeeded in elucidating basic principles of the disease.
Important Control Mechanism Behind Autoimmune Diseases Discovered: Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered a new control mechanism in our immune system. The discovery is of potential significance to the treatment of serious diseases such as MS (multiple sclerosis), rheumatoid arthritis, and SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus).
Immune Responses to Flu Vaccine Are Diminished in Lupus Patients: Patients with the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have an increased risk of infection, due to both disturbances in their immune responses and treatment with immunosuppressive drugs.
Vitamin D Tests May Reveal Risk for Lupus: Lupus, the autoimmune disorder which recently received a media spotlight in the wake of Michael Jackson's death, may be catalyzed by low levels of vitamin D in people susceptible to the disease, according to new research.
Gene Linked To Lupus Might Explain Gender Difference In Disease Risk: In an international human genetic study, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center suffer with identified a gene linked to the autoimmune disease lupus, and its location on the X chromosome power help simplify why females are 10 times more susceptible to the plague than males.
Lupus Patients Perceive Benefit From Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: According to a new study by Hospital for Special Surgery investigators presented at the American College of Rheumatology meeting on October 21 in Philadelphia, most lupus patients are not aware that their condition puts them at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and a counseling program is a valuable way to promote education and lifestyle change.
Uncovering the Mysteries of Immunity, and of Lupus: Scientists are seeking to uncover why the immune system attacks healthy cells in lupus. Antinuclear antibodies, like those shown here in lupus-prone mice, are a hallmark of the disease.
Testing For Urinary Proteins Might Help Diagnose Kidney Damage From Lu: Simple urine tests for four proteins might be able to detect early kidney disease in people with lupus, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in an animal study.
Benlysta Effective in Some Lupus Sufferers: The experimental lupus drug Benlysta has defied skeptics by significantly improving the symptoms of this difficult-to-treat disease in a late stage trial, announced Human Genome Sciences (HGSI) and partner GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) on Monday.
Good News for Lupus at the American College of Rheumatology Meeting: Drug company Human Genome Sciences (HGS) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) today reported details of the first of their two crucial Phase 3 trials of belimumab (Benlysta™) in people with systemic lupus erythematosus at the American College of Rheumatology’s (ACR) annual scientific meeting in Philadelphia.
Cellular Mechanism That Causes Lupuslike Symptoms In Mice Identified: Macrophages, the scavenger cells of the body's immune system, are responsible for disposing of dying cells. Stanford University School of Medicine researchers have identified one pathway in this important process in mice that, if disrupted, causes a lupuslike autoimmune disease.
Antibody Puts Young Women at Risk of Stroke, MI: Women with the lupus anticoagulant -- an antiphospholipid antibody -- had five times the risk of heart attack of other women, and a 40-fold greater risk of stroke, researchers said.
Roche suspends arthritis drug study after deaths: US biotechnology company Biogen Idec and Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding are suspending rheumatoid arthritis and lupus treatment ocrelizumab after it caused deaths, casting doubt over the drug's future.
The Lupus Drug Gold Mine: Lupus has puzzled doctors since it was identified in the 1800s. For unknown reasons, the body makes antibodies against itself.
Twin Epigenetics Study IDs Methylation Differences in Lupus: NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Epigenetic changes, specifically differences in DNA methylation, may contribute to environmental factors involved in systemic lupus erythematosus risk, according to an online study in Genome Research today.
Benlysta™ Trial Results in an Historic Research Breakthrough: Second successful phase III trial points to the first new lupus treatment in over 50 years. The Lupus Alliance of America, as a member of the Lupus National Coalition, are thrilled to make this announcement and to be a part of this history making drug!
Research Archives