Nephritis News and Research

RSS

Nephritis is the general term used to describe inflammation of the glomerulus, tubules or interstitial tissue in the kidneys. The condition affects functioning of the kidney and its ability to filter blood and excrete waste products via the urine.

LFA announces award of new grants for lupus research

The Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. (LFA) today announced the awarding of six new research grants to address gaps in the science and understanding of key areas of lupus research, including pediatric lupus, reproductive health issues in people with lupus, lupus nephritis (kidney involvement), and neuropsychiatric lupus, which affects the brain and nervous system.

14 Oct 2010

New report focuses on management of renal anemia amongst dialysis, later stage CKD patients

BioTrends Research Group, Inc. recently published its TreatmentTrends: Renal Anemia in China report. This report is based on survey results from 150 nephrologists in clinical practice in China and qualitative interviews conducted with ten thought leaders in nephrology. The report examines the demographics of nephrology practice in China and focuses specifically on the management of renal anemia amongst dialysis and later stage chronic kidney disease patients.

7 Oct 2010

Further trials needed to determine clinical application of Abatacept in SLE

Results from a 12-month multi-center clinical trial did not show therapeutic benefit of abatacept over placebo in patients with non-life threatening systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Abatacept failed to prevent new disease flares in SLE patients tapered from corticosteroids in an analysis where mild, moderate and severe disease flares were evaluated together. Full details of the phase IIb clinical trial are published in the October issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).

29 Sep 2010

USPTO grants Taligen patent for TT30 lead product candidate

Taligen Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing therapies that regulate the complement system to treat inflammatory and immune diseases, announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 7,759,304, entitled "Targeting Complement Factor H For Treatment of Diseases", covering the composition of matter for its lead product candidate, TT30, a novel fusion protein that selectively binds to complement activated cells to locally regulate the complement system.

24 Aug 2010

Systemic lupus erythematosus drug market to quadruple from $400 million in 2009 to over $1.6 billion in 2019

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, driven primarily by the launch and uptake of Human Genome Sciences/GlaxoSmithKline's Benlysta, the systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) drug market will quadruple from about $400 million in 2009 to more than $1.6 billion in 2019 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Japan.

10 Aug 2010

PIKAMAB secures exclusive rights to issued U.S. patent from UABRF

PIKAMAB, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in stratified medicine, announced today that it has secured exclusive rights to an issued U.S. patent (US 6,986,987) from the UAB Research Foundation. This patent pertains to the discovery that the functional polymorphism (Ser/Gly248) in the cytoplasmic domain of Fc alpha receptor determines the proinflammatory potential of serum IgA autoantibodies through cell signaling and production of cytokines such as TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-1β in an allele-dependent manner.

1 Jul 2010

LFA seeks grant applications from medical researchers to help advance understanding of lupus nephritis

The Lupus Foundation of America seeks grant applications from medical researchers to help advance the understanding of lupus nephritis, a serious and life-threatening complication of lupus that can affect as many as 40 percent of all people with lupus, and two-thirds of children with the disease.

24 Apr 2010

Increase in anti-Apo A-I, anti-HDL and anti-CRP may lead to atherosclerosis in SLE patients

A study by researchers in Australia and the United Kingdom suggests that autoantibodies to fat binding proteins significantly increase in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with active disease. This increase in anti-apolipoprotein (anti-Apo A-I), anti-high-density lipoprotein (anti-HDL), and anti-C-reactive protein (anti-CRP) may contribute to the development of atherosclerosis in SLE patients, placing them at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).

25 Feb 2010

Investigators identify new disease mechanism and therapeutic approach for lupus kidney disease

Investigators have identified a new disease mechanism and therapeutic approach for a type of advanced kidney disease that is a common cause of complications in patients with lupus. The

27 Jan 2010

LRI awards $3.6 million grants to drive innovative science in lupus and related diseases

The Lupus Research Institute (LRI) today named 12 new grant recipients for 2009. The awards, totaling $3.6 million, recognize innovative work across a broad spectrum of lupus research. All were selected for their creativity, novelty, and potential to drive scientific discovery to ultimately prevent, treat, and cure the complex disease of systemic lupus.

24 Nov 2009

Lupus patients rarely develop kidney disorders after a kidney transplant

Individuals with a history of lupus who receive a kidney transplant rarely develop the serious inflammatory condition lupus nephritis in their new organ, according to a paper being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Diego, CA.

2 Nov 2009

PIKAMAB obtains U.S. patent rights to develop theragnostic product

PIKAMAB, a stratified medicine biopharmaceutical company, announced today that it has secured exclusive rights to two issued U.S. patents from Hospital for Special Surgery, New York. PIKAMAB is developing Lupus TherasightTM, a novel theragnostic product that will eventually help guide the drug development process and patient treatment protocols in the areas of lupus and lupus nephritis.

15 Oct 2009

Mycophenolate mofetil may be an alternative therapy for lupus nephritis

Lupus is a rare but serious disease that mainly affects women of child-bearing age and occurs when the body's immune system goes awry, damaging a variety of organs.

15 Apr 2009

Study of Rituxan (rituximab) in lupus nephritis misses primary endpoint

Genentech, Inc. and Biogen Idec has announced that a Phase III study of Rituxan (rituximab) plus mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and corticosteroids in patients with lupus nephritis did not meet its primary endpoint of significantly reducing disease activity at 52 weeks.

11 Mar 2009

Rituximab reduces kidney inflammation in patients with severe lupus nephritis

Treatment with the targeted drug rituximab can significantly benefit some patients with severe lupus nephritis who do not respond to conventional therapy, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN).

4 Mar 2009

Variations of MYH9 gene help explain high rate of kidney disease in African Americans

Several recent studies have suggested that common gene variations may be responsible for much of the elevated risk of kidney disease in African Americans.

8 Nov 2008

Lupus more severe in patients with ancestry from southern Europe

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with a higher percentage of ancestry from southern Europe have more severe disease manifestations, according to new research presented today at EULAR 2008, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism in Paris, France.

11 Jun 2008

Cellcept immunosuppressant further linked to birth defects

A new study documents malformations seen in an infant born to a kidney transplant recipient who had taken mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), a widely used immunosuppressant available commercially as Cellcept.

7 Feb 2008

Methods for treating lupus nephritis

Good patient information is essential for choosing the best treatment for the kidney disease lupus nephritis.

17 May 2007

Women suffering lupus OK to take oral contraceptives

Major study of women with either inactive or stable systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus) – a disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks and damages healthy tissues of the skin, joints and internal organs – were able to take oral contraceptives without increased risk of flares, or periods of increased disease activity, that characterize the disease.

22 Dec 2005