III study conducted by Genentech, Inc., known as the EXPLORER study. Rituxan is approved by the U.S.

Human Genome Sciences Completes Enrollment In First Of Two Phase 3 Lymphostat-B(R) Trials published Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 PDT
Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI) announced that it has completed enrollment and initial dosing in BLISS-52, one of two pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials of LymphoStat-B(R) (belimumab) in patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). LymphoStat-B is being developed by HGS and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) under a co-development and commercialization agreement entered into in August 2006. "We continue to be excited by LymphoStat-B's potential.

Lupus Foundation Of America Seeks Funding Proposals For Research Studies On Childhood Lupus, Nervous System Involvement, And More published Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:00:00 PDT
The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) is seeking proposals for up to $1.5 million in grant funding for basic, clinical, or translational research studies on lupus, an unpredictable and potentially fatal autoimmune disease. The purposes of the studies are to: accelerate ongoing research; directly sponsor novel approaches; and develop experimental prototypes.

$6.8M Awarded To Researchers Worldwide By The Alliance For Lupus Research published Mon, 21 Apr 2008 01:00:00 PDT
The Alliance for Lupus Research (ALR) recently announced that it will award nearly $7 million to researchers around the world. "The ALR is very proud to announce, during National Minority Health Month, that with our 2008 class of grantees the ALR has funded more than 100 research projects, and committed more than $50 million to research, since our founding in 1999," says ALR President Barbara Boyts. For a full list of grantees, visit the ALR's website,

News From The Journal Of Clinical Investigation March 13, 2008 published Fri, 14 Mar 2008 06:00:00 PDT
A new road to the autoantibodies that characterize lupusSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), commonly known as lupus, is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the inflammatory destruction of many organs, including the skin, joints, and kidneys. A hallmark of the disease is the production of IgG antibodies that target nucleic acid-associated proteins in the nucleus of the individual's own cells (so called autoantibodies).

Lupus - Working Together For A Cure published Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:00:00 PDT
On Tuesday, March 4th, advocates for the Alliance for Lupus Research (ALR), on behalf of the 1.4 million Americans with lupus, described their personal experiences with the disease to their Members of Congress. ALR Advocates visited nearly 100 Congressional offices, representing 21 states, and asked their Members to support lupus research funding through the Department of Defense's (DoD) peer reviewed medical programs.

Child's Play - Lupus Now Magazine Explores Activities For Children With Lupus published Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:00:00 PDT
Learning that your child has a chronic illness is never easy, especially when it's the unpredictable and potentially fatal autoimmune disease lupus. When it comes to physical activities for children, most parents prefer to err on the side of caution - but medical experts say that may be a mistake. The spring issue of the Lupus Foundation of America national magazine,

Kidneys Affected In 40 Percent Of People With Lupus published Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:00:00 PDT
It is estimated that as many as 40 percent of all people with the autoimmune disease lupus, and as many as two-thirds of all children with lupus, will develop kidney complications that require medical evaluation and treatment. Because there are so few symptoms of kidney disease, significant damage to the kidneys can occur before a person is actually diagnosed with lupus.

Autoantibodies And Neuropsychiatric Events In Lupus published Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:00:00 PDT
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), commonly known as lupus, can affect nearly any part of the body, including the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, nervous system, and brain. Along with joint pain, muscle pain, unexplained fever, extreme fatigue, and skin rashes, neurologic and psychiatric events often accompany this autoimmune disease. Depending on the study, between 37 and 95 percent of SLE patients experience signs and symptoms of neuropsychiatric (NP) disease.

Cell Signaling Glitch Contributes To Lupus Progression published Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:00:00 PDT
Immune cells that would normally die in healthy people accumulate in bodies of patients who have lupus and contribute to the disease, according to new Saint Louis University research published in the Feb. 15 issue of Immunity.The finding is important because it tells us more about how lupus develops and suggests a strategy for treating the autoimmune disease, said Harris Perlman, Ph.D.

La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company Reports Progress In International Phase 3 Riquent(R) Study published Wed, 13 Feb 2008 04:00:00 PDT
La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company (Nasdaq:LJPC) announced significant progress in its ongoing double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized Phase 3 trial of Riquent(R) (abetimus sodium), its drug candidate for systemic lupus erythematosus ("lupus" or "SLE"), including additional safety data on the trial's higher doses. To date, 607 patients have been enrolled in the study at more than 130 clinical trial sites in 23 countries.

LFA Unveils New Lupus Education Materials published Thu, 07 Feb 2008 01:00:00 PDT
The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) is proud to unveil its new line of updated and revised lupus education materials. Five new booklets, eleven fact sheets and five quick guides provide the latest medically sound information about lupus diagnosis and treatment. The publications feature easy-to-read text within a colorful layout to help individuals with lupus and others learn about lupus and its consequences.

Heart Disease Is A Major Complication Of Lupus - February Is National Heart Month published Mon, 04 Feb 2008 02:00:00 PDT
Heart disease is a major complication of lupus and is now a leading cause of death among people living with autoimmune disease. Individuals with lupus are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), which involves hardening of the arteries and can lead to heart attacks or strokes later in life.

When Kidney's Ability To Clean Its Own Filters Breaks Down, Disease Likely published Wed, 30 Jan 2008 04:00:00 PDT
The kidney actively cleans its most selective filter to keep it from clogging with blood proteins, scientists from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reveal in a new study.Researchers showed that breakdown of this self-cleaning feature can make kidneys more vulnerable to dysfunction and disease."We speculate that defects of this clearance mechanism can leave things on the filter that can damage it," says senior author Andrey Shaw, M.D., Emil R.

Reporting Several Genes That Regulate The Disease SLE published Wed, 23 Jan 2008 01:00:00 PDT
Swedish researchers, in collaboration with foreign colleagues, have identified a number of new genes that can be tied to the disease SLE, including a gene that hopefully might be used to treat the disease in the future by regulating the production of antibodies. These unique findings are being published in three articles in the new issue of the journal Nature Genetics.

Drugs Used To Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis May Have Hidden Benefits published Tue, 22 Jan 2008 02:00:00 PDT
Powerful drugs used to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a profound, previously unrecognized effect on the immune system, breaking up molecular "training camps" for rogue cells that play an increasingly recognized role in autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

Genetic Link To Lupus, NHS Response published Tue, 22 Jan 2008 01:00:00 PDT
Scientists have identified six or more "rogue genes" behind the disease lupus, reports the Daily Mail. Lupus affects nearly 50,000 women in Britain and it is a complex disease which "occurs when the immune system turns on the body", the newspaper said. The newspaper story is based on four studies published in scientific and medical journals that have looked at the association between variations in people's genetic makeup and the likelihood they have lupus.

Genetics Behind The Disease SLE Almost Completed published Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:00:00 PDT
A new study has mapped the risk factors behind the autoimmune disease SLE in the entire human genome. The findings of the study, in which researchers from Uppsala University took part, are being presented in the Web edition of The New England Review of Medicine. The study charts which of the human being's some 20,000 are the strongest risk factors for SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus).

Scientists Identify Genes Linked To Lupus In Women published Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:00:00 PDT
An international consortium of scientists has identified multiple genes that are linked to systemic lupus erythematosus, a devastating autoimmune disease that affects between 1 million and 2 million Americans. Reporting in Nature Genetics, the scientists also confirmed earlier findings linking lupus to several other genes highlighting the role that genetics plays in the disease.

DNA Variations Signal Lupus Risk published Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:00:00 PDT
Scientists have pinpointed a set of common variations in human DNA that signal a higher risk for lupus in women who carry them. Some of these variations are more common in relatives of lupus patients, which may help future studies examining whether lupus is more prevalent among certain racial and ethnic groups, according to a new study.

Genes Linked To Lupus Identified By International Consortium published Mon, 21 Jan 2008 04:00:00 PDT
A landmark genetic study has identified multiple genes linked to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), or lupus, a debilitating autoimmune disease that affects an estimated 1.4 million Americans.Lupus can affect the joints, kidneys, heart, lungs, brain and blood and occurs in about 31 out of every 100,000 people. Women are nine times more likely than men to develop the condition, which is often difficult to diagnose.

Discovery Of New Genetic Mutation That Halts The Development Of Lupus published Fri, 18 Jan 2008 05:00:00 PDT
The new study was published in the January 18 edition (Volume 28, Issue 1) of the journal Immunity.The lupus-suppressing action is the result of what is known as a nonsense mutation of the Coronin-1A gene (Coro1a) required for the development of the disease. A nonsense mutation causes the gene to produce proteins that no longer function.

)

Home l Contact l