Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), also called lupus, is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the immune system attacking the body's own tissues and organs, leading to inflammation and damage. The severity of the disease varies, from mild cases only involving the skin to severe cases affecting multiple organs, including the brain. Lupus sufferers experience flares, or intervals of active disease, and remissions in disease. The disease most predominantly occurs in women of childbearing age, but also affects children, adolescents, and men. While the cause of lupus is still unknown, various genetic, environmental, and infectious causes have been associated with its development. Current treatments for lupus vary depending on the extent of the disease, and may change over time. Some medications used to ease symptoms include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antimalarial drugs, corticosteroids, and immunosuppressive medications, though many of these drugs carry their own risks.
A routine blood sample contains a diverse collection of immune cells that can reveal important clues about health and disease. These cells, known as peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), are widely used to study infections, autoimmune disorders, cancer, and the immune system's response to treatment.
When a patient is facing certain cancers or an immune condition, clinicians turn to their white blood cells for clues about the progression of both diseases and their treatments.
When the immune system encounters a virus, it produces antibodies designed to recognize and eliminate the invader.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that, according to the CDC, currently impacts around 35,000 Americans-with 5,000 more diagnosed each year.
Researchers at Mayo Clinic have identified a protein that cancer cells use to suppress the body's immune response, a finding that could support the development of new treatments to improve the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies.
Your body depends on T cells to stay healthy. These white blood cells act like a neighborhood watch in the body, helping the immune system spot threats such as viruses, bacteria, and cancer cells.
Researchers at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) have discovered a vital relationship between the immune system's early development and adult function.
In autoimmune disorders, immune cells targeting 'self' proteins are mistakenly activated, resulting in their abnormal expansion and responsiveness. It has been known to reduce the quality of life of patients over a prolonged period.
Researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) have identified a specialized population of immune cells that play a central role in driving abnormal tissue growth in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), offering new insight into disease progression and potential treatment strategies.
A recent study has identified biological abnormalities that make the female immune system more likely to mistakenly attack the body's own healthy tissues, providing insight into why women are significantly more likely than men to experience autoimmune diseases.
According to recent studies, immune cell DNA mutations that eliminate the immune system's natural brakes may be the cause of autoimmune disorders.
Scripps Research scientists have developed a new class of drug compounds that reduce harmful inflammation while leaving the body's ability to fight infections intact-a long-sought goal in treating autoimmune diseases.
Human gene maps contain major blind spots because they were built largely from the DNA sequences of people with European ancestry, according to a study published today in Nature Communications.
Researchers at Academia Sinica have developed the first population-specific polygenic risk score (PRS) models for people of Han Chinese ancestry, achieving unprecedented accuracy in predicting risks for common diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune disorders.
The immune system faces a delicate balancing act: it must be aggressive enough to fight infections and cancer, yet restrained enough to avoid attacking the body's own tissues.
Researchers at VIB and Ghent University have uncovered a key mechanism that protects the skin from harmful inflammation.
A pizza shop with 30 delivery people ought to be able to deliver a lot of pizzas - if their cars don't break down on the way.
To our immune system, naked RNA is a sign of a viral or bacterial invasion and must be attacked. But our own cells also have RNA.
Aging in female mice shows increased gene activity on the second X chromosome, offering insights into cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative disorders.
After spending years tracing the origin and migration pattern of an unusual type of immune cell in mice, researchers have shown in a new study how activity of "good" microbes in the gut is linked to rheumatoid arthritis and, potentially, other autoimmune diseases.
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