NIH Datasets Will Accelerate the Quest for New Lupus Treatments

NIH Datasets Will Accelerate the Quest for New Lupus Treatments   Lupus experts around the world will mine this invaluable biomedical resource in the search for 'Tomorrow's Cures.'  The National Institutes of Health today released important new datasets that will help clinical investigators discover new ways to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The datasets were developed through the Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP), that was launched in 2014 as a public-private partnership to spur development of new therapeutic options for lupus and RA. The Lupus Foundation of America is a leading partner of the AMP program. The new datasets will provide valuable information about the structure and properties of individual cells in lupus and RA disease tissue. Armed with this new insight, researchers will gain a clearer picture of the biological pathways and other factors that cause people to develop these diseases. The data enables investigators to identify specific treatment targets that can halt or impede the progression of lupus and RA, an important step toward developing new effective therapies for these conditions. "Lupus is the prototypical autoimmune disease," said Sandra C. Raymond, Chief Executive Officer of the Lupus Foundation of America. "Finding answers that explain what pathways lead to development of lupus may provide clues not only to the causes of lupus but other autoimmune diseases. Our hope is that these efforts will lead to a new understanding of the underlying causes of lupus along with targets for the development of new treatments that will improve the quality of life for all people with lupus." Read more about today's announcement on the NIH/NIAMS website.