The Lupus Clinical Care Program
Lupus Clinical Care Research
The Lupus Clinical Care Program doesn't only care for patients at bedside or in a doctor's office. Our team of researchers are hard at work finding emerging treatment options to help combat Lupus. Below you'll find our areas of focus. You can also click here find our current research projects and clinical trials.
Current Focus Areas
Cell therapy is an emerging treatment option for lupus, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a complex autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks healthy cells. Several types of cell-based therapies are under investigation or in clinical use.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are one of the most studied options. These cells, typically derived from bone marrow, umbilical cord, or adipose tissue, have immunomodulatory properties that can reduce inflammation and autoimmune responses. Clinical trials have shown promising results, with MSCs improving disease activity and reducing the need for immunosuppressive drugs in patients with refractory lupus.
Another approach is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), where the patient’s immune system is essentially "reset" by first depleting it using chemotherapy, followed by the infusion of stem cells to regenerate a new immune system. This method has shown potential for long-term remission, in severe cases but carries higher risks, including infection and treatment-related complications.
Additionally, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, primarily used in cancer treatment, is being explored in lupus. In early trials, CAR-T cells designed to target and eliminate auto-reactive B cells have induced remission in some patients with refractory lupus. While these therapies show great potential, they are still under study and require further research to fully understand their safety, efficacy, and long-term effects.
Biologic therapies have become a significant part of lupus treatment, particularly for patients with moderate to severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who do not respond well to traditional immunosuppressants. Biologics are drugs derived from living organisms that target specific components of the immune system.
One of the most widely used is belimumab, a monoclonal antibody that inhibits B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS), a protein that promotes the survival of autoreactive B cells. Belimumab has been shown to reduce disease activity and flares, especially in patients with high levels of autoantibodies.
Another biologic, anifrolumab, blocks the type I interferon receptor, which is implicated in lupus pathogenesis. It has demonstrated efficacy in reducing skin and joint symptoms and overall disease activity.
Other therapeutic agents include small molecule drugs and repurposed immunosuppressants.
Drugs like mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and cyclophosphamide are often used to manage lupus nephritis, while antimalarials like hydroxychloroquine remain a cornerstone for milder disease and long-term maintenance.
Newer oral therapies, such as voclosporin, a calcineurin inhibitor, have been approved specifically for lupus nephritis and show benefit in improving kidney outcomes when combined with standard therapy.
As understanding of lupus pathogenesis advances, treatment strategies are becoming more targeted, offering better disease control with fewer side effects for patients.