Stanford researchers link lupus to common virus in ‘breakthrough’ study

Kathleen Ford of Solano County was a nurse for more than years until one day she squatted down to help a recipient and hobbled by terrible joint pain couldn t stand up Then in her s Ford had been diagnosed with lupus years earlier It s a mysterious autoimmune disorder that drives inflammation as the body s own immune system fights tissue and organs instead of foreign intruders like viruses and bacteria Characteristics are a rollercoaster from hair loss to joint pain that afflicted Ford so badly hat she had to quit the job she loved Strange rashes also broke out on her legs then fast disappeared Related Articles Luigi Mangione s attorneys question damning report tied to accused CEO shooter s mom Measure B appears to hold commanding lead in latest ballot results As strength companies get bigger so do the bills It s unclear if Trump s organization will intervene Researchers try bold new approach in a race to better treat autoimmune diseases The trend of unproven peptides is spreading through influencers and RFK Jr allies About million Americans have lupus and almost all are women There is no cure Treatments may relieve indicators but the troubling side effects can include osteoporosis and eye damage More rarely lupus can be fatal It s not a fun syndrome at all stated Ford now who lives in the northern Solano County city of Dixon You never know when it s going to exacerbate And for no reason The cause of lupus has eluded clinical researchers for decades But this week a organization of Stanford Medicine researchers claim they ve cracked the code a maturation specific independent lupus experts described as a major breakthrough that could lay the groundwork for a feasible cure RELATED Stanford UCSF launch cancer research and care collaboration In a paper published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal Science Translational Medicine the Stanford researchers explained they have connected the dots between lupus and the Epstein-Barr virus a virus of Americans carry According to the review that common virus infects certain white blood cells that are part of the immune system until ultimately more and more cells are recruited into a battle against the command centers of cells in one s own body Betty Tsao a prolific autoimmune sickness researcher and professor of medicine at the Curative University of South Carolina commented other biological factors may complicate the race to cure lupus But she described the Stanford research band s paper as a major breakthrough and mentioned the review is convincing in illustrating the biology behind lupus This is an exciting time Tsao mentioned And we hope we will have much better therapy options for patients in a very short horizon Bill Robinson professor of immunology and rheumatology at the Stanford healthcare school who is the scrutiny s senior author announced the breakthrough reveals the key missing link for how EBV causes lupus using the acronym for the virus The discovery may reveal new possibilities for effective prevention and therapy Now doctors offer lupus patients a wide range of medications with limited results and a slew of doable side effects By identifying the biological process that leads to lupus Robinson stated he and his colleagues can pursue therapy to interrupt the immune system s misguided and dangerous attack against the body it is designed to protect In particular the co-authors plan to use a targeted sequencing equipment to identify and remove the white blood cells infected with the Epstein-Barr virus That would effectively cure lupus he noted That s now the mission of EBVio Inc a privately-held biotech company co-founded by Robinson and two of his Stanford colleagues On Wednesday Robinson stated they did not have immediate plans to take the company citizens Our goal is to make a good drug Robinson explained We re still pretty early-stage The examination landed as other scientists advance early research into the application of a cancer therapy to lupus patients In that approach CAR T-cell therapy white blood cells called B cells are removed en masse from the body That could put lupus into remission but at the cost of a weakened immune system according to the Lupus Foundation of America In the Bay Area and Northern California the new research was greeted with gratitude and praise in the area of people living with lupus or those supporting a family member By tying lupus to the Epstein-Barr virus the Stanford paper represents a transformative moment for millions of people living with this devastating illness stated Thomas Bakewell executive director of the Lupus Foundation of Northern California This finding brings us closer than ever to understanding the why behind lupus and importantly opens the door to new pathways for prevention and cure The possibility of a cure for lupus would truly be amazing declared Shauntay Davis-Patterson The Sacramento parent of two adopted boys knows all too well the journey of living with lupus over the class of years Davis-Patterson has contended with joint paint so severe that she couldn t walk hair loss hospitalizations and bouts with chemotherapy Lupus has attacked her kidneys so viciously that she s waiting for a transplant On top of that she s endured the toxic side effects of medication intended to help her Prednisone a steroid improved her reactions but at the cost of osteoporosis she disclosed We all kind of suffer in silence a lot because people don t understand what we go through noted Davis-Patterson who runs a backing group for lupus patients as part of the lupus foundation Ford also developed osteoporosis a brittleness and weakness in bones because of Prednisone And Plaquenil which eases pain and swelling can cause eye damage in patients who are older or have taken the drug for countless years Every six months Ford has a clinician examine the soundness of her retinas But big picture both women consider themselves privileged Davis-Patterson disclosed she is grateful she can run after her boys and that she was diagnosed promptly all those years ago Chosen have to approach the strength system for years to nail down a finding she reported And Ford is grateful that she s as healthy as she is even after two hip replacements On Thursday she laughed and brushed off talk of her indicators and the pile of pills she has to take every week I m really not that bad she explained I think I m one of the lucky ones definitely