Scientists can distinguish between highly similar cell types using cutting-edge laboratory procedures. Using such techniques, IRP researchers have identified a particular variety of cell in a specific stage of its life cycle as a primary culprit behind the autoimmune disease known as lupus.

The human back is a complex structure with bones, nerves, tendons, discs, and more — all places where something can go wrong and cause pain, which, for many people, becomes a long-term or chronic problem. Life stresses and other medical and mental health conditions aggravate the problem. With so many pieces, it’s hard to get a holistic view of the puzzle or pinpoint the cause of the pain. “People tend to focus on one aspect or another,” said Jeffrey Lotz, Ph.D., a medical engineer who studies back pain at the University of California, San Francisco. “Some people think it’s largely

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), National Institute on Aging (NIA), and National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) are sponsoring a virtual workshop on Health Disparities in Osteoarthritis on Tuesday, July 12 – Wednesday, July 13, 2022, starting at 11:00 AM (ET) each day. The workshop will focus on combining behavioral and biomedical science to address personal, interpersonal, and societal influences that contribute to health disparities in osteoarthritis. Discussions will cover how understanding these disparities can lead to better health in osteoarthritis. Please visit the NIH Health Disparities in Osteoarthritis Workshop page

Researchers have identified a potential treatment to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a chronic autoimmune disease.

Known as the “disease with a thousand faces,” systemic lupus erythematosus is a lifelong autoimmune disease with a wide range of symptoms and signs—fatigue, fever, joint pain, facial rash and skin lesions, shortness of breath, and more. It may develop suddenly or slowly and be mild or severe, with people affected going through periods of flare up and remission of their symptoms.

A research team led by Dr. Makarand Risbud of Thomas Jefferson University tested whether treatment with the drugs dasatinib and quercetin would prevent disc degeneration in mice. Both drugs are senolytics, which selectively remove aged cells known as senescent cells.

Video of a Facebook Live discussion on lupus research, treatment, and care, moderated by Rev. Cheryl Ward and featuring experts in the field.

NIBIB-funded researchers are developing an implantable, biodegradable film that helps to regenerate the native cartilage at the site of damage. Their study, performed in rabbits, could be an initial, important step in the establishment of a new treatment for this common condition, osteoarthritis.

Dr. Kaplan has studied a number of autoimmune diseases, from rheumatoid arthritis to vasculitis, but most of her efforts have been focused on what she calls “the poster child” for autoimmune diseases: systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), more commonly referred to as ‘lupus.’