Antibodies specific for double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) are thought to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis. Plasma cells have em...

The presence of class-switched IgG autoantibodies that recognize the cryptic peptides suggests that neoantigen-specific T cells were involved and provided help for class switching and affinity maturation. To test this directly, we used a 14-day expansion and restimulation assay that was optimized for the detection of tumour antigen-specific T cells35. In this regimen, the antigen-specific T cells are activated and undergo several cell divisions, and then return to a resting state before restimulation on day 14 (Fig. 5a). PBMCs from patients including those in the RNA-seq cohort were incubated for 14 days in the presence of peptide pools consisting of 3–7 distinct 15-mer peptides covering the novel amino acid sequence of a cryptic splice variant, and restimulated on day 14 with each individual peptide separately, and assayed on day 15 for IFNγ and IL-17 production by ELISpot and analysed for activation using flow cytometry. T cells from one immunosuppressed patient with SLE (undergoing treatment with tacrolimus and prednisone) showed only weak reactivity, whereas T cells from nine other patients (Fig. 5b–e and Supplementary Figs. 9 and 11a), showed moderate to strong reactivity against several peptides, with T cells from each patient displaying a unique profile of reactivity. We also tested...

B cells sustain both a functional immune system and immune-mediated diseases. Here, the authors use bulk RNA-seq, CITE-seq, and ATAC-seq to profile B cells from healthy donors upon stimulation with di...

The presence of class-switched IgG autoantibodies that recognize the cryptic peptides suggests that neoantigen-specific T cells were involved and provided help for class switching and affinity maturation. To test this directly, we used a 14-day expansion and restimulation assay that was optimized for the detection of tumour antigen-specific T cells35. In this regimen, the antigen-specific T cells are activated and undergo several cell divisions, and then return to a resting state before restimulation on day 14 (Fig. 5a). PBMCs from patients including those in the RNA-seq cohort were incubated for 14 days in the presence of peptide pools consisting of 3–7 distinct 15-mer peptides covering the novel amino acid sequence of a cryptic splice variant, and restimulated on day 14 with each individual peptide separately, and assayed on day 15 for IFNγ and IL-17 production by ELISpot and analysed for activation using flow cytometry. T cells from one immunosuppressed patient with SLE (undergoing treatment with tacrolimus and prednisone) showed only weak reactivity, whereas T cells from nine other patients (Fig. 5b–e and Supplementary Figs. 9 and 11a), showed moderate to strong reactivity against several peptides, with T cells from each patient displaying a unique profile of reactivity. We also tested...

New lupus nephritis research reveals pathway-specific immune mechanisms, enabling selective therapies and personalized treatment approaches based on immune profiles.

Estudo revela que a perda de açúcares à superfície de células imunitárias pode desencadear inflamação associada a doenças como Crohn ou lúpus

Objective This international task force aimed to provide healthcare professionals and persons living with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with consensus-based recommendations for physical activity ...

Introduction Cognitive symptoms such as ‘brain fog’ are frequent and disabling in patients with SLE. We aimed to develop and validate the Lupus Brain Fog Severity Scale (LBFSS), the first patient-repo...

Scientists have identified which immune cells appear to produce the misdirected antibodies that show up in some people after a COVID-19 infection, and the pathway they describe overlaps with one already familiar to researchers who study lupus. The finding is mechanistic rather than clinical. It does not mean COVID causes lupus, and it does not change how anyone is diagnosed or treated today. What it offers is a specific biological explanation for something clinicians have observed since early in the pandemic without being able to account for. Autoantibodies are proteins the immune system produces that mistakenly target a person's own tissues instead of an invading pathogen. The immune system normally makes antibodies to find and destroy bacteria and viruses. Sometimes that process misfires. In people infected with the virus, autoantibodies have been linked to severe illness, persistent symptoms and an increased risk of newly developing autoimmune disease. The Cells That Appear to Be Doing the Damage Researchers at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle and their partners analyzed data from 209 people infected with the virus. From that group, they selected twelve age-matched women with markedly different autoantibody levels and sorted them into a high-autoantibody group and a low-autoantibody...

It’s not all in your head: Sunlight plays a role in your overall health and well-being. A family medicine physician outlines the specific benefits sunshine can bring, plus how much of it you need each...

Objective Epidemiologic estimates for age of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) diagnosis are limited, particularly for men and racial and ethnic subpopulations in the United States. Leveraging the .....

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) presents substantial life challenges, reflecting the complex and heterogeneous nature of the disease. Pain is common and often one of the earliest manifestations. Skill-based behavioral pain treatments are often inaccessible to patients with SLE, and no SLE-specific evidence exists to guide patient and clinician treatment choices. To fill a pressing evidence gap for SLE pain treatment, the Lupus PROGRESS (Pain Relief With Online Groups That Empower Skill-Based Symptom Reduction) trial will compare a lower-burden evidence-based behavioral pain treatment with online multisession cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT; the gold standard behavioral treatment for chronic pain) while also enhancing diversity and representativeness among patient advisors and #Study participants. Objective: Lupus PROGRESS is a national, pragmatic, randomized noninferiority trial comparing the effectiveness of 2 evidence-based behavioral pain treatments (online 8-session CBT vs 1 session the Empowered Relief program; Stanford University) in adults with SLE and chronic pain in the United States for reducing pain intensity and pain interference at 3 months after treatment (multiple primary end points). Methods: In total, 150 adults with SLE and pain (≥3 months, intensity of ≥3/10) will be enrolled from academic medicine, community health network, and insurance payer #Study sites. Participants are randomized 1:1 to either 1-session Empowered Relief or 8-session CBT, with both treatments delivered online to groups. Mixed-model repeated measures and intention-to-treat analytic approaches will be used to test comparative effectiveness aims from baseline to 3 months after treatment (the primary end point). Multiple primary outcomes are pain intensity and pain interference; priority secondary outcomes are sleep disturbance, pain catastrophizing, pain bothersomeness, and anxiety; and other secondary outcomes are satisfaction with roles and responsibilities and global impression of change, anger, fatigue, and depression. Durability of effects will be tested at 6 months after treatment. Empowered Relief is hypothesized to have superior treatment completion and adherence and lower treatment burden ratings than CBT. In exploratory analyses, we will compare health care use through medical record and claims data 3 months prior to enrollment to the last 3 #Study months, hypothesizing reduced noninferiority in reduced use. The #Study also incorporates a multilevel patient engagement infrastructure to improve accessibility, recruitment, and #Study relevance. Results: As of May 2026, we have enrolled 130 participants. Enrollment is anticipated to end in November 2026, with treatments completed by April 2027 and full analyses completed by February 2028. Conclusions: Lupus PROGRESS will provide real-world pragmatic evidence on whether a 1-session online group skill-based treatment is noninferior to 8-session CBT. Results from this patient-centered #Study will inform more accessible, equitable, and patient-centered chronic pain care for people living with lupus. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05612750; https://clinicaltrials.gov/#Study/NCT05612750