F
C U S
O N
R E S E A R C H
Advanced research on lupus published in
prestigious scientific journal
New research that may dramatically improve drug development for systemic lupus erythematosus patients was recently published in Cell, the most prestigious scientific journal among biologists. The paper, “Personalized Immunomonitoring Uncovers
Molecular Networks That Stratify Lupus Patients,” was authored
by Virginia Pascual, M.D., principal investigator of the study and
researcher at Baylor Institute for Immunology Research, part of
Baylor Scott & White Research Institute. Dr. Pascual holds the
Maxwell A. and Gayle H. Clampitt Endowed Chair in Immunology
Research.
“This achievement reflects Dr. Pascual’s commitment to excellence and continuous improvement of care for patients with lupus,”
said Donald Wesson, M.D., senior vice president of medical education and research for Baylor Scott & White Research Institute.
“For many investigators, simply getting a publication in Cell is the
highlight of their career, but for Dr. Pascual it’s another great honor
in a career that has brought prestige to her and to Baylor Scott &
White Health.”
Lupus is a chronic disease in which the body’s immune system
attacks its own tissues, causing inflammation, pain and organ
damage. It’s a complicated condition that is difficult to diagnose
and complex to treat since no two cases are alike. Clinical trials
for effective drug treatments have had limited success. In this
study, Dr. Pascual and her team aimed to understand the molecular diversity of the disease to make future drug development easier and more effective.
“The results included in this paper provide an explanation for why
clinical trials fail in lupus, and opens the door for true personalized
approaches to drug discovery and treatment,” Dr. Pascual said.
Researchers studied the genes in 924 blood samples from 158
pediatric lupus patients from Texas Scottish Rite Hospital and other
pediatric hospitals for four years. This personalized immunomonitoring approach, which measures gene expression activity of different cell types, allowed researchers to classify patients into seven
molecular groups according to their gene expression patterns at the
time of both disease flares and remissions.
Marilynn Punaro, M.D., medical director of rheumatology at
Scottish Rite Hospital, and her team are co-authors of the study. It
16
Dr. Virginia Pascual
may ultimately improve clinical trial design and implementation of
tailored therapies in lupus and other genetically and clinically complex autoimmune diseases.
“This is a landmark study that has the potential to dramatically
improve treatment and quality of life for the hundreds of thousands of people suffering with lupus,” Dr. Pascual said.
Baylor is deeply committed to immunotherapy research, the
development and implementation of personalized medicine, and
delivering improved care for those in the community suffering
with autoimmune diseases through new, innovative therapies.
Philanthropic gifts have been instrumental in promoting and
encouraging this research, and will be crucial going forward.
“We are fortunate to have incredible technology, but it is
extremely expensive to use,” said Dr. Pascual. “Donor support
allows us to study a greater number of patients, analyze more samples and run additional tests that would otherwise not be possible. The hope is that, through this work, we can figure out why
lupus patients get the disease. This research could then be applied
to other autoimmune diseases.”
For more information on research initiatives, contact Sarah Burdi at
214.820.4721 or [email protected].