Hilary Brueck Blood samples taken from a patient receiving CAR-T immunotherapy. AP Photo/Elaine Thompson A half dozen patients in Germany have been functionally cured of lupus — for now, at least. Their doctors used a blood-engineering technique that’s usually reserved for fighting aggressive cancers (CAR-T). It’s unlikely that such a technique could become widespread for lupus-sufferers,...
By Isabella Cueto Sept. 15, 2022 In CAR-T therapy, T cells are modified to attack particular disease cells. SAUL LOEB/AFP/GETTY IMAGES Rheumatology — the study of immune-system-driven diseases of the bones, joints, muscles, and in-betweens — has inherited plenty of hand-me-downs from cancer research. For example, there are ways of squelching an immune system in order...
by Lisa Gutierrez Before Aisha Kelley headed to the pharmacy last week, she heard from a fellow lupus patient that she might have trouble getting her prescription filled. Her medication, hydroxychloroquine, sold by the brand name Plaquenil, keeps her body from turning against her. It is considered the most important drug for lupus patients, but...
by University of British Columbia Patients with lupus who take their medications as prescribed have much lower odds of developing type 2 diabetes, a common complication of the disease, finds a new study from the University of British Columbia. Patients with lupus who take their medications as prescribed have much lower odds of developing type...
by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital This work shows for the first time that a type of immune cell called a patrolling monocyte plays a critical role in lupus-related kidney disease. Authors Vanessa Redecke, M.D., Ph.D., Hans Haecker, M.D., Ph.D., and Jeeba Kuriakose, Ph.D. Credit: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital A study led by St. Jude Children’s Research...
The autoimmune disease causes the body to attack and damage vital organs such as the kidneys. Singer Selena Gomez put lupus in the spotlight last week when she received a kidney transplant because the disease had ravaged her own kidneys. But the new research, which included two mice trials and a slightly different human trial, offers new strategies that...
