Lupus tagged posts

B and T cell infiltration in lungs of NZBWF1 mice following cSiO2 exposure is prevented by dietary supplementation with DHA

A team of MSU researchers has found that consuming an omega-3 fatty acid called DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, can stop a known trigger of lupus and potentially other autoimmune disorders. DHA can be found in fatty, cold-water fish and is produced by the algae that fish eat and store in their bodies. It can be found in fish oil supplements as well, used by more than 30 million Americans...

Schematic representation of the structural organization of active human retroelements and their transcripts. Alu, SVA and LINE-1 belong to the non-LTR group of currently active human retroelements. Each panel shows the schematic of the element with the expected transcript (represented as a line and labeled RNA) shown below it.

Researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) have uncovered a potential genetic trigger of systemic autoimmune disease. The study, the culmination of more than 10 years of research discovered virus-like elements within the human genome linked to the development of 2 autoimmune diseases: lupus and Sjogren’s syndrome.

More than 80 types of autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and Sjogren’s syndrome, affect up to 22 million people in the US...

© Fanny Bonachera / IBMC / ICT / PDB. Modeling of the 3D structure of the P140 peptide. The P140 peptide corresponds to the 131-151 sequence of the nuclear ribonucleoprotein U1-70K, whose residue 140 is a phosphoserine (visible on the left).

This peptide is the subject of a CNRS patent (granted in 2009) and has already successfully completed phases I and II of its regulatory clinical trials. An international phase III pivotal trial will begin in a few days’ time in the US when the first patient starts the treatment, before the trial is extended to Europe. Phase III is the last stage in the testing of a candidate drug, before it can be given market approval. The launch of phase III was the subject of a meeting involving around a hundred physicians on December 11-12, in Paris.

Lupus is a ch...