Lupus Science and Medicine Podcast

Join Dr. Anna Wolska and Dr. Jim Posada as they delve into the intricacies of RNAse therapy in the management of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). In this podcast episode, Dr. Posada describes the groundbreaking study evaluating the efficacy of RSLV-132, a novel RNAse molecule fused to human IgG1 Fc, in reducing chronic inflammation associated with cutaneous lupus. Key findings from the clinical trial reveal that patients with moderate to severe cutaneous disease activity were administered RSLV-132 over a span of six months. Disease activity was evaluated using the Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity Index (CLASI) score and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K). These findings suggest that RNAse therapy may be effective in patients with higher disease activity. Read the related paper in LSM - https://doi.org/10.1136/lupus-2023-001113

Dr. Anna Wolska engages in a conversation with Dr. Shivani Garg and Dr. Christie Bartels to delve into the development and implementation of HCQ-SAFE. This innovative decision-aid is designed to empower individuals living with lupus to engage in shared-decision making. The authors discuss the importance of streamlining and enhancing shared decision-making dynamics between patients and healthcare providers regarding the utilization of hydroxychloroquine, a cornerstone therapy in lupus. The tool can be accessed through the following link: http://hcqsafe.medicine.wisc.edu/ Read the article: https://doi.org/10.1136/lupus-2023-000935

Dr. Anna Wolska speaks to Dr. Michael Belmont and Devyn Zaminski to discuss the importance of dual dsDNA testing in order to full understand disease activity. In this study, they made the observation that there is a large amount of discordance in anti-dsDNA antibodies assays. Misinterpretation or errors in anti- dsDNA antibody testing could have negative implications on long term outcomes in people living with SLE. Read the related paper - https://doi.org/10.1136/lupus-2023-001012

Dr. Anna Wolska engages in a discussion with renowned experts, Dr. Catharina Lindholm and Dr. David Jayne, to explore findings from the phase II TULIP Lupus Nephritis trial. This in-depth conversation centers on results from a clinical trial where they evaluated the efficacy of intensified anifrolumab treatment in individuals with active lupus nephritis. Read the article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/lupus-2023-000910

Dr. Anna Wolska sits down with experts, Dr. Michelle Petri and Dr. Nick Ballew, analyzing the effectiveness of SLE treatments Belimumab and Anifrolumab. The conversation delves into their meticulous study, where they examined the 52-week SLE Responder Index (SRI)-4 responses, providing crucial data for informed lupus patient care. The study data, based on rigorous randomized trials and systematic literature reviews, offers clinicians invaluable insights into treatment decisions for people living with lupus. Read the published article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/lupus-2023-000907

Dr. Anna Wolska from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Drs. Ana Malvar and Brad Rovin. They discuss using repeat tissue biopsies to understand progression of lupus nephritis over time. They offer conjecture that both immunosuppression as well as mitigation of tissue fibrosis, resulting from inflammatory resolution, are needed in order to preserve kidney function and prevent progression to kidney failure. Read the related article - http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/lupus-2023-000932

Dr. Anna Wolska from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Drs. Anca Askanase and Joan Merrill, the developers of the LFA-REAL tool. Together, they discuss the importance of using a tool like LFA-REAL to understand how clinician and patient reported outcomes are essential for understanding efficacy and effectiveness of experimental therapeutics developed to treat people living with lupus. Read the article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/lupus-2022-000875

Dr. Anna Wolska from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Dr. Amrie Grammer and Dr. Peter Lipsky from AMPEL BioSolutions. Together they describe the molecular endotypes of Type 1 and Type 2 Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. This episode uncovers the distinct molecular profiles of these SLE types and paves the way for personalized treatment approaches based on these classifications. Link to published paper: https://lupus.bmj.com/content/10/1/e000861

Dr. Anna Wolska from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Dr. Ian Bruce, from the University of Manchester in the UK. Dr Bruce discusses the time to onset of clinical response to Anifrolumab in patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. The episode delves into pooled data from two significant Phase III trials, TULIP-1 and TULIP-2, offering listeners a deep understanding of the effectiveness and timeline of Anifrolumab treatment. Read the article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/lupus-2022-000761

Dr. Anna Wolska from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Dr. Andrea Fava from Johns Hopkins University about Belimumab treatment in lupus nephritis. Dr Fava elucidates on the correlation between the decrease in urinary CD163 levels and the response to Belimumab treatment in Lupus Nephritis trials. The conversation provides important insights into the efficacy of this treatment option and potential biomarker use for personalized and precision medicine in the future. Read the article: dx.doi.org/10.1136/lupus-2022-000763

Dr. Anna Wolska from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Dr. Andrea Fava from Johns Hopkins University about Belimumab treatment in lupus nephritis. Dr Fava elucidates on the correlation between the decrease in urinary CD163 levels and the response to Belimumab treatment in Lupus Nephritis trials. The conversation provides important insights into the efficacy of this treatment option and potential biomarker use for personalized and precision medicine in the future. Read the article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/lupus-2022-000763

Duane Peters from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Dr Gary Gilkeson from the Medical University of South Carolina about a phase I trial into the use of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) in refractory lupus patients in the USA, following impressive results of clinical improvement resulting from this therapy in China. The trial indicated that infusions of MSCs derived from the umbilical cord are safe and may be effective in treating mild to moderate systemic lupus erythematosus, with minimal adverse effects. Access the article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/lupus-2022-000704

Duane Peters from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Dr Peter Izmirly from New York University and Dr Elizabeth Ferucci from the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, both in the USA. They discuss the establishment of a network of population-based lupus patient registries in the USA and how these have been used to estimate the incidence rate of systemic lupus erythematosus using standardised data stratified by sex, race and ethnicity. Access the article: https://lupus.bmj.com/content/8/1/e000614

Duane Peters from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Professor Ronald van Vollenhoven from the Amsterdam University Medical Centers in the Netherlands and Dr Cynthia Aranow from the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York, USA. They discuss the efforts of the DORIS international task force to agree on a single definition of remission in systemic lupus erythematosus, which they hope will ensure that clinicians, patients and researchers in the field are all working towards the same outcome. Access the article: https://lupus.bmj.com/content/8/1/e000538

Duane Peters from the Lupus Foundation of America talks to Dr Cristina Drenkard from Emory University and Dr Teresa Brady from Clarity Consulting and Communications, both based in Atlanta, USA. They discuss their paper on the relationship between levels of self-efficacy and health behaviours and outcomes in black women with SLE. Their study specifically evaluated the associations between age, educational level and depression in SLE patients and the degree of pain and fatigue they experienced. These findings may help predict who might benefit most from self-efficacy-enhancing interventions to improve quality of life. Access the article: https://lupus.bmj.com/content/9/1/e000566

Duane Peters from the Lupus Foundation of America talks to Dr Sylvia Kamphuis and Dr Javad Wahadat from the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam in the Netherlands about aiming for a Low Lupus Disease Activity State (LLDAS) in children with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). They outline the difference between LLDAS and clinical remission (CR), and discuss how LLDAS may be a more achievable target for patients than CR that nevertheless still brings significant clinical benefits in terms of decreasing damage accrual and improving health-related quality of life. Access the paper here: https://lupus.bmj.com/content/8/1/e000571

Duane Peters from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Professor Iryna Kulyk from Indiana University in the USA and Professor Martin Kriegel from the University of Münster in Germany and Yale University in the USA. They discuss their study, presented at the Lupus 21st Century conference in September 2021, on the influence of the consumption of resistant starch (a type of dietary fiber) on the composition of the gut microbiota of lupus patients. Access the abstract here: https://lupus.bmj.com/content/8/Suppl_2/A63.2.abstract

Duane Peters from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Dr Erik Anderson and Dr Meggan Mackay from the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in New York in the USA. They discuss their study into imbalances in quinolinic acid and kynurenic acid levels in the brain in SLE patients, and propose that the ratio between these two metabolites could be used as a new biomarker or therapeutic target for cognitive dysfunction. Access the paper here: https://lupus.bmj.com/content/8/1/e000559

Duane Peters from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Jennifer He from the University of Western Ontario in Canada about her research into using neuropsychological battery tests to determine the degree of cognitive dysfunction in lupus patients. A high degree of variability in performance across multiple tests (a high dispersion score) is associated with a higher risk of cognitive dysfunction, so this can be a useful screening/diagnostic tool. Access the paper here: https://lupus.bmj.com/content/8/1/e000511

Duane Peters from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Dr Jill Buyon, one of LSM's Editors-in-Chief, about the highlights of ACR Convergence 2021, which was held virtually on 3-9 November (https://www.rheumatology.org/Annual-Meeting).