Lupus Science and Medicine Podcast

Personalised metabolite monitoring during pre-conception and pregnancy in SLE patients

Duane Peters from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Francisca Lambert-Fliszar and Dr Evelyne Vinet from McGill University Health Centre in Canada. They discuss monitoring 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) metabolite levels to enable personalisation of immunosuppressive therapies prior to conception or during pregnancy, in order to most effectively and safely control the disease during this critical time.
Access the paper here: https://lupus.bmj.com/content/8/1/e000519

Can you predict lupus nephritis outcomes using machine learning models?

Duane Peters from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Dr Jim Oates from the Medical University of South Carolina and Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, USA. They discuss his paper on developing risk prediction models in lupus nephritis to predict outcomes at the point of diagnosis, which can be used as a decision support tool to help inform treatment strategies for patients.
Access the paper here: https://lupus.bmj.com/content/8/1/e000489

Highlights of the LUPUS & CORA 2021 joint congress

Duane Peters from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Dr Ronald von Vollenhoven, one of LSM's Editors-in-Chief, about the highlights of the 14th International Congress on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (LUPUS 2021) and the 6th International Congress on Controversies in Rheumatology and Autoimmunity (CORA). These events were held jointly as a virtual congress on 6-9 October 2021 (https://lupus2021.kenes.com) and showcased the best clinical, biological, and translational advances in the field of SLE and autoimmunity.

Identifying therapeutic targets in lupus nephritis: is obtaining research tissue via biopsy safe?

Duane Peters from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Dr Jill Buyon, one of LSM's Editors-in-Chief, and Dr Philip Carlucci from New York University in the USA, a previous recipient of the LFA's Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship. They discuss their recent paper on the safety of kidney biopsies in patients with SLE enrolled in the Accelerating Medicines Partnership in the USA, which aims to identify potential targeted treatments for lupus nephritis.
Access the paper here: https://lupus.bmj.com/content/8/1/e000522

LSM’s first Journal Impact Factor™

Duane Peters from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews the Lupus Science & Medicine Editors-in-Chief, Professor Jill Buyon and Professor Ronald van Vollenhoven. They discuss the recent release of LSM's first Journal Impact Factor™, explaining how it has been calculated, and what it means for the journal, its authors and readers.
Access all the LSM journal metrics: https://lupus.bmj.com/pages/top-cited-articles/ and https://lupus.bmj.com/pages/about/.

Can you conduct clinical trials on lupus patients in a home setting?

Duane Peters from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Dr Stephen Balevic, Dr Rachel Randell and Professor Laura Schanberg from Duke University in the USA. They discuss the advantages and challenges of designing and implementing self-controlled clinical trials for paediatric lupus patients in a home setting, based on their experience of conducting the Individual Patient Exposure and Response in Pediatric Lupus (iPERSONAL) trial. Could this be a way to effectively deliver clinical trials in a post-pandemic world?
Access the paper here: https://lupus.bmj.com/content/8/1/e000494

EULAR 2021 eCongress Highlights

Duane Peters of the Lupus Foundation of America follows up with Professor Ronald van Vollenhoven of the Amsterdam University Medical Centers to discuss the highlights of the lupus research presented at the EULAR 2021 eCongress, which was held virtually on 2-5 June 2021.
EULAR Congress website: https://congress.eular.org/index.cfm
EULAR 2021 abstracts: https://ard.bmj.com/content/80/Suppl_1

Safety profile of anifrolumab in SLE patients

Duane Peters from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Professor Eric Morand from Monash University in Australia and Dr Raj Tummala from AstraZeneca in the USA about phase II and III trials of the human monoclonal antibody anifrolumab.
Their pooled analysis of data from the MUSE, TULIP-1 and TULIP-2 trials showed that, in addition to demonstrating efficacy in adults with moderate to severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), anifrolumab was generally well tolerated with an acceptable safety profile. Anifrolumab was associated with an increased incidence of herpes zoster and respiratory tract infections and a lower reported rate of SLE worsening. This positive benefit–risk profile means that anifrolumab is a potential new treatment option for SLE.
Access the paper here: https://lupus.bmj.com/content/8/1/e000464

The ALPHA Project

Duane Peters from the Lupus Foundation of America interviews Dr Susan Manzi from the Allegheny Health Network and Kathleen Arntsen from the Lupus and Allied Diseases Association, both based in the USA, about the Addressing Lupus Pillars for Health Advancement (ALPHA) Project.
The ALPHA Project is the first global initiative to identify, prioritise and address top barriers in lupus impacting diagnosis, care, treatment and research. The diverse team includes lupus experts, clinicians, researchers, industry representatives, advocacy organisations and people with lupus, and there is a specific focus on the patient perspective.
Access the paper here: https://lupus.bmj.com/content/8/1/e000433

Lupus Academy 10th Annual Meeting Highlights

Duane Peters of the Lupus Foundation of America follows up with Professor Ronald van Vollenhoven of the Amsterdam University Medical Centers to discuss the highlights of the 10th Annual Meeting of the Lupus Academy, which was held virtually on 16-18th April 2021.
Lupus Science & Medicine is the official journal of the Lupus Academy and the abstracts from the event have been published as a supplement to the journal.
Lupus Academy website: lupus-academy.org/
Lupus Academy 2021 abstracts: lupus.bmj.com/content/8/Suppl_1