Research

Researchers Focus on Biomarkers as Key in Lupus

I am pleased to share that the potential for disease biomarkers to improve diagnosis and treatment for patients with lupus has gotten a good deal of deserved attention this past week, and the Lupus Research Institute (LRI) is proud to be in the thick of it all as we see promising results from several novel research studies we’ve funded.

Important LRI-funded research on using a novel biomarker developed by Dr. Joshua Thurman at University of Colorado to replace the need for invasive biopsy was published in this week’s issue of Kidney International, the official journal of the International Society of Nephrology. More »

Last week Margaret Dowd, President and CEO and Dr. Jennifer Bell, Research Director of the Lupus Research Institute participated in a two-day workshop convened by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to discuss how lupus biomarkers could speed up clinical trial research. Two LRI-funded studies were presented, looking at using biomarkers to predict when the disease will worsen acutely, called flare. One of these tests has already been licensed for commercial development. More »

Additional cutting edge research on biomarkers will be presented at our annual scientific conference, “Forum for Discovery 2011” October 17 and 18 in New York, where the country’s most renowned thought leaders in lupus from academia, clinical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, government and the lupus community come together to share new data and ideas that are advancing lupus discovery. Rockefeller University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne, PhD, a world leader in the study of brain development and the former chief scientific officer of biotech giant Genentech, will give the keynote speech. More »

We are very excited about the progress our researchers have pioneered in biomarker discovery, and look forward to sharing more with you all over the coming months.

About the LRI
The world’s leading private supporter of innovative research in lupus, the LRI champions scientific risk-taking in the hunt for solutions to this complex and dangerous autoimmune disease.

Lupus Research Institute
330 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1701, New York, NY 10001
T: 212.812.9881 F: 212.545.1843
e-mail: Lupus@LupusNY.org