In a new study, researchers have discovered a major cause of lupus.
They found that previously ignored rare genetic mutations could cause the disease.
The discovery may improve the understanding of the causes of disease and potentially save lives.
The research was conducted by a team from The Australian National University (ANU).
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that targets the body’s healthy tissue, causing inflammation, damage, and pain. It has no cure currently.
Until now, the exact cause of the disease has been unknown.
In the current study, the team found how rare gene variants that occur in less than one percent of the population cause lupus and how these variants drive the disease in the body.
They found that how most lupus patients harbor those so-called rare gene variants and how these rare gene variants cause immune cells to no longer work properly.
They explain that when the cells no longer work, the immune system struggles to distinguish viruses and bacteria from self, leading to lupus.
They suggest that the finding makes way for life-saving personalized treatment for lupus and other autoimmune diseases.
The new discovery may also develop treatments for conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes.
The finding may also help identify and predict how severe a patient’s lupus is.
The lead authors of the study are Dr. Simon Jiang, Dr. Vicki Athanasopoulos, and Professor Carola Vinuesa.
The study is published in Nature Communications.
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