May is Lupus Awareness Month
Read about how the Lupus Foundation of America is uniting communities to raise lupus awareness and support and how you can get involved to help make lupus visible.
New Findings in Lupus and Machine Learning
New research in machine learning finds four predictive lupus disease profiles.
Congratulations to Our Board Members
Congratulations to our board members, Dr. Sam Lim, Georgia State Rep. Kim Schofield and Founder Bryant Reid for being named Community Service awardees at the Phenomenal Women’s Health Annual Fundraising Tea.
(Pictured in the photo above l to r: Kim Schofield – Georgia State Representative, Teri Edmond – CEO of Lupus Foundation of America Georgia Chapter, Cheryl Burnside – CEO of Phenomenal Women’s Health, Bryant Reid – President of The Reid Foundation For Lupus, Inc.)
RINVOQ Advances to Phase 3 Clinical Trials for Lupus Treatment
March 27, 2023
AbbVie announced that its drug therapy upadacitinib (also known as RINVOQ®) is entering Phase 3 clinical trial for treatment of lupus. RINVOQ is already approved for the treatment of other autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and eczema.
In the M19-130 Phase 2 trial of RINVOQ, the drug met its primary endpoint either given alone or as a combination therapy to people with moderately or severely active lupus disease. The drug was given to five groups, a total of 341 people, and none of the trial participants exhibited any new safety issues with the treatment.
Continue to follow the Lupus Foundation of America for updates on RINVOQ as well as other lupus clinical trials.
Article Credit: Lupus Foundation of America | lupus.org
New Study Found People with Lupus Have Unique Oral Bacteria
February 23, 2022
In a new study, researchers found people with lupus have a unique mix of oral bacteria, or “microbiome,” that is correlated with disease activity. The oral microbiome is made up of a collection of more than 700 unique bacterial species, and disturbances in the microbiome have been linked to various inflammatory diseases. The findings from this study suggest that specific oral bacteria found in people with lupus could be used as new, non-invasive lupus biomarkers and may serve as a therapeutic target for exploring new treatment options.
The oral microbiome is a collection of bacteria that affects the progression of health and disease. To assess whether oral bacteria diversity is linked to lupus, researchers compared the characteristics of the oral microbiome in people with lupus against a healthy control group. They collected and examined tongue coating samples from 255 people with lupus and 280 controls. Compared to the people without lupus, people with lupus had significantly more diverse oral bacteria present on their tongues. Furthermore, people with lupus had higher and lower levels of certain types of bacteria that were linked to greater disease activity.
These findings suggest people with lupus have a unique oral microbiome, which could promote new methods of lupus diagnosis and monitoring. While more research is needed to fully understand the relationship between lupus and the oral microbiome, these findings will help guide future studies. Learn more about oral health issues with lupus.
Article Credit: Lupus Foundation of America | lupus.org