This is an exciting time for lupus. We are at the beginning of a paradigm shift in our understanding of lupus and how it is diagnosed and treated. There are many studies underway to identify the underlying genetic causes of lupus, validate biomarkers to monitor the progression of lupus and response to treatment, and understand how lupus impacts various organs. Additionally, there are a number of approaches being evaluated to manage and treat lupus. The FDA soon will announce its decision whether to approve Benlysta®, potentially the first new treatment approved for lupus in more than 52 years and the first ever developed specifically for the disease.

During the 2010 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Annual Scientific Meeting, several leading lupus investigators participated in interviews to highlight the results of their studies and to share their insight into the current status and future direction of research on lupus. We are pleased to share these interviews with you and hope you find them to be helpful. The LFA is pleased to have played a role in helping to advance the science and medicine of lupus by funding many of the studies and investigators featured here. For additional information about the LFA National Research Program: Bringing Down The Barriers, please review the Research Section of the LFA website.

David Pisetsky, MD, PhD
Professor of Rheumatology & Immunology

Duke University Medical Center

Immune Response to DNA and its Role in Lupus

Mariana Kaplan, MD
Associate Professor of Internal Medicine
University of Michigan Health Systems, Ann Arbor
Mechanisms of Abnormal Phenotype and Function of Bone Marrow Enthelial Progenitor Stem Cells

 

W. Joseph McCune, MD
Professor of Rheumatic Diseases

Director, Lupus Clinic

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
The Epidemiology of Lupus: Racial and Gender Differences

 

Jill Buyon, MD
Professor of Medicine

New York University School of Medicine
Research on Congenital Heart Block in Neonatal Lupus

Kathleen O'Neil , MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Effect of Pubertal Hormone Changes on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

 

Amy Kao, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Medicine

Allegheny-Singer Research Institute
C4d on Circulating Cells and Renal Tissues as Markers of Lupus Nephritis

 

William Stohl, MD, Ph D
Professor of Medicine, Rheumatology

University of Southern California, Los Angeles

Keck School of Medicine
Overview of Research on B Cells and Immune Regulation in Human Lupus

 

Gregg Silverman, MD
Professor of Medicine

Head, Laboratory of B-cell Immunobiology

University of California, San Diego
The Evolution of Lupus Genetic Research

 

David Pisetsky, MD, PhD
Professor of Rheumatology & Immunology

Duke University Medical Center

Apoptosis and Microparticles in the Origination and Development of Lupus

 

Caroline Gordon, MD, FRPC
Professor of Rheumatology

University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
About the LFA POINT Program

 

W. Joseph McCune , MD
Professor of Rheumatic Diseases,

Director, Lupus Clinic
Cardiovascular Disease in Lupus

Gregg Silverman, MD
Professor of Medicine

Head, Laboratory of B-cell Immunobiology

University of California, San Diego
Perspectives on B-Cell Research

David Pisetsky, MD, PhD
Professor of Rheumatology & Immunology

Duke University Medical Center
The Future Direction for Research on Lupus