Systemic Lupus Erythematosus - Research

Research

Since lupus is considered to be currently incurable, current research is being geared towards finding a possible cause, a cure, and more effective treatment plans to extend and increase the quality of life for lupus patients.

Several papers discuss the importance of the presence of antibodies in the brain that are only produced in patients with lupus. One such paper highlights the inhibition of astrocyte proliferation in brain tissue from lupus patient serum. Astrocytes are glial cells in the brain that participate in the support of cells that form the blood/brain barrier. They are extremely useful in that they provide a nutritional balance between ions in the brain, keeping it at a normal level. In this study, researchers used immunofluorescence to track the antibodies near the corpus callosum to determine whether anticardiolipin antibodies have an inhibitory effect on brain cells and whether they elicit thrombus formation in brain vessels, which plays a part in neuropsychiatric lupus.

However, the majority of the recent papers focus on the effect of lupus on blood/brain barrier integrity. It was found that 20–70% of lupus patients with neurological symptoms have some form of a central nervous system involvement. This can be determined using various imaging methods as well as lumbar puncture (spinal tap) to assess cerebrospinal fluid.

In a study conducted in London, researchers measured the albumin content in the brain using imaging and spinal fluid. The images were used to illustrate blood/brain barrier damage while the spinal tap was used to measure the protein content in the brain. Albumin is a protein that can be carried into the brain through the blood/brain barrier by other transport proteins. If the ratio of albumin outside the barrier to inside the barrier is high, this means that either the barrier is damaged, or the transport proteins are not functioning well. This blood/brain barrier damage can impact lupus patients by increasing their discomfort and increasing the intensity of the disease.

A study called BLISS-76 tested the drug, Belimumab (HGS1006, LymphoStat-B ), a fully human monoclonal anti-BAFF (or anti-BLyS) antibody. stimulates and extends the life of B lymphocytes, which produce antibodies against foreign and self cells. The drug, branded Benlysta, was approved by the FDA in March 2011. Notwithstanding the approval, the FDA emphasized that the drug will not work in all cases, and that more research and advanced therapies are called for.

At Stanford School of Medicine Institute for Immunity Transplantation and Infection, trials are underway for use of DHEA as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of mild to moderate SLE.

Read more about this topic:  Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Famous quotes containing the word research:

    It is a good morning exercise for a research scientist to discard a pet hypothesis every day before breakfast. It keeps him young.
    Konrad Lorenz (1903–1989)

    I did my research and decided I just had to live it.
    Karina O’Malley, U.S. sociologist and educator. As quoted in the Chronicle of Higher Education, p. A5 (September 16, 1992)

    If politics is the art of the possible, research is surely the art of the soluble. Both are immensely practical-minded affairs.
    Peter B. Medawar (1915–1987)