Scientists from Northwestern Medicine and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have discovered the cause of lupus and a potential cure for it, according to a study published Wednesday. “We have identified a fundamental imbalance in the immune responses that patients with lupus make, and we have defined specific mediators that can correct this imbalance to dampen the pathological autoimmune response,” Dr. Deepak Rao, one of the study’s authors, told the Northwestern Medicine News Center. An estimated 5 million people worldwide have lupus, including 1.5 million in the U.S., according to the Lupus Foundation of America. “Until now, all therapy for lupus has been a blunt instrument. It’s broad immunosuppression,” said co-author Jaehyuk Choi. “By identifying a cause for this disease, we have found a potential cure that won’t have the side effects of current therapies.” Northwestern researchers were able to identify the cells that cause lupus and target them to potentially reverse the disease, Choi said. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that makes the body less able to fight infections.
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