April 2024

CD19 CAR T-Cell therapy in autoimmune disease - A case series with follow-up

N Engl J Med 2024;390(8):687–700 DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa2308917

In this case series by Müller, et al., eight patients who received a CD19 CAR T-cell infusion achieved Definition of Remission in SLE (DORIS) remission, Lupus Low Disease Activity State and a SLEDAI 2K score of 0 at 6 months post-infusion. Long-term follow-up through 24 months showed that SLE disease activity remained absent
in all eight patients.

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February 2024

Evaluation of RNase Therapy in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Randomised Phase 2a Clinical Trial of RSLV-132

Lupus Sci Med. 2024;11:e001113 DOI 10.1136/lupus-2023-001113

Treatment with RSLV-132 was associated with lower rates of SAEs than placebo, although RSLV-132 therapy was not associated with a significant improvement in the mean CLASI score relative to placebo. However, results suggest that further evaluations of RSLV-132 in SLE should be undertaken with patients with more active disease who are most likely to benefit from RNase therapy.

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April 2024

Smith-specific regulatory T cells halt the progression of lupus nephritis

Nat Commun. 2024 Feb 6;15(1):899 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45056-x

Compared with polyclonal mock-transduced regulatory T cells (Tregs), Smith(Sm)-Tregs potently suppress Sm-specific pro-inflammatory responses in vitro and suppress disease progression in a humanised mouse model of lupus nephritis.

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February 2024

Development of the American College of Rheumatology's Patient-reported Outcome Quality Measures for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2024 doi: 10.1002/acr.25301. Epub ahead of print.

Expert workgroup members and patient partners recommend that clinicians assess depression and physical function at least once yearly in all people with SLE. Additional patient reported outcome measures addressing cognition and fatigue can also be assessed.

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Predictors of Renal Flares in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Post-hoc Analysis of Four Phase III Clinical Trials of Belimumab

Rheumatology (Oxford) 2024 DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/keae023 Epub ahead of print

High baseline proteinuria levels, hypoalbuminaemia, and C3 consumption were associated with
renal flare development. Renal flares remain common in patients with SLE, however causative factors are still largely unknown. Jagerback, et al. conducted a post-hoc analysis of pooled BLISS trial data to identify predictors of renal flares.

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December 2023

Kidney Outcomes and Preservation of Kidney Function with Obinutuzumab in Patients with Lupus Nephritis: A Post Hoc Analysis of the NOBILITY Trial

Arthritis Rheumatol. 2023 DOI 10.1002/art.42734

This post hoc analysis of the Phase 2 NOBILITY trial determined that obinutuzumab plus standard of care improved the likelihood of long-term preservation of kidney function and improved kidney function with less glucocorticoid use in patients with lupus nephritis.

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Efficacy and Safety of Telitacicept in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Multicentre, Retrospective, Real-World Study

Lupus Sci. Med. 2023;10(2):e001074 DOI 10.1136/lupus-2023-001074

In this study, telitacicept add-on therapy demonstrated desirable real-world safety and efficacy profiles for the management of SLE, LN, and patients with haematological abnormalities.

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January 2024

Telitacicept in Patients with Active Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Results of A Phase 2b, Randomised, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial

Ann Rheum Dis. 2023; DOI: 10.1136/ard-2023-224854

This Phase 2 trial demonstrated the efficacy and acceptable safety profile of telitacicept in patients with SLE. The safety profile of telitacicept was comparable with that observed in clinical trials of other B cell-targeting agents.

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