A new study published in Rheumatology by researchers from the Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, and the Oxford University Press suggests that caffeine could benefit heart health by supporting the body’s blood vessels, especially in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study is among the first to investigate the…

Researchers at Northwestern Medicine and collaborators at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital say they have discovered that changes in multiple molecules in the blood promote the pathological immune response in the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and provides a target for the development of new therapies. About 1.5 million…

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine say they have uncovered insights as to why lupus symptoms and severity present differently in individuals. The researchers believe this discovery will lead to further understanding of the biological mechanisms behind lupus, and may lead to shifts in how clinicians treat patients.…

As it expands from oncology into autoimmune disease, Cullinan Therapeutics (formerly Cullinan Oncology) yesterday announced a $280 million private placement. The company’s lead compound is now CLN-978 for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which it believes has the potential to be a safe, first-in-class, off-the-shelf, disease-modifying treatment in autoimmune diseases.  “Today’s…

A new study, led by Australian researchers at Monash University, demonstrates a method to reprogram defective cells that could lead to a new cell therapy to provide an effective long-term treatment for lupus. Using human cells from healthy people, the research team developed a treatment that restores the protective aspects…

Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden have discovered that C-reactive protein (CRP), a common biomarker that is routinely used to detect systemic inflammation, plays a beneficial role in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most common form of lupus. The research, published in the Journal of Autoimmunity, opens a new avenue…

AMPEL BioSolutions has announced that its genetic precision medicine test for lupus patients could predict heart disease and provide decision support for prophylactic therapies. Shared genes that predispose both to lupus and cardiovascular disease are pinpointed in a report they published in Cell Reports Medicine. AMPEL’s approach characterizes inherited genetic markers that…

Researchers part of a public-private partnership have identified new targets for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, including lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. That’s according to a trio of new studies published in the 18 June 2019 issue of Nature Immunologythat provide new details about how tissue damage occurs in these diseases.…

Rare gene variants have been linked to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)  by a group of scientists led by Carola G. Vinuesa, Ph.D., of the Australian National University. The research was published May 17 in Nature Communications. SLE is a highly heterogeneous autoimmune disease thought to be caused by the effects…

Without a doubt, tens of thousands of people afflicted with blood cancers—leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma—have had incredibly positive outcomes with CAR T cell therapy. When Emily Whitehead was treated in April 2012 at the age of six, the hope was that she would live another day; if she survived until…

Hematologist oncologist Miloš Miljković, MD, joined Cartesian Therapeutics as chief medical officer (CMO) in September 2021 from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to do what he does best—develop and execute clinical programs—to help the RNA cell therapy company re-establish its stride in autoimmunity following the COVID-19 pandemic. “CAR-Ts have become…

Immunotherapy, particularly with checkpoint inhibitors like the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab and CTLA-4 inhibitor ipilimumab, has transformed melanoma treatment by leveraging the body’s immune system to target and destroy cancer cells. However, despite its effectiveness, this treatment can lead to severe grade 3–5 immune-related adverse events (irAEs), affecting over a third…

The dark genome—it sounds like a work of science fiction. Perhaps something Keanu starred in shortly after The Matrix? But for a dozen or so biotech companies, investigating this mysterious genetic “dark matter” is at least as exciting as anything dreamt up by a movie studio. Once dismissed as “junk…

Zenas BioPharma this week closed an upsized $200 million Series C financing. The company’s lead product candidate, obexelimab, is a bifunctional monoclonal antibody designed to bind both CD19 and FcγRIIb to inhibit the activity of B cells, plasmablasts, and CD19-expressing plasma cells to treat autoimmune diseases. The financing round was…

Female mammals are more susceptible to autoimmune diseases because of how their X-chromosome is inactivated, new research from France suggests. Scientists “turned back on” the inactive X gene in a mouse model, which led to signs of autoimmune disease. It’s likely the findings will relate to people as well. The…