Posted on January 17, 2001 at 9:47 a.m.
BIRMINGHAM, AL — People with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have significantly higher levels of a particular protein called B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) than people who do not have the disease, according to a recent study by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Details of the study appear in the January issue of the Journal of Immunology.
The clinical trial also found that in people with lupus, BLyS stimulates the immune system to produce damage-causing antibodies. “Findings are in keeping with what was found in earlier laboratory studies done on mice,” says Dr. Robert Kimberly, director of the division of clinical immunology and rheumatology at UAB. “If clinical findings continue to hold true, this research promises new, more effective treatments for people with lupus. It could be the most important advance for lupus in 25 years.”
The findings are also relevant to other autoimmune diseases, in particular, rheumatoid arthritis. In autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, the body attacks and destroys its own healthy cells and tissues. Approximately 500,000 people in the U.S. have lupus and approximately 2.1 million have rheumatoid arthritis, one of the most common forms of arthritis. Both affect primarily women.
BLyS is a naturally occurring protein first identified a year ago by Human Genome Science, Inc., a biotechnology company in Rockville, Md. “In laboratory work involving mice, we found that the protein stimulates B-cells, which activate the immune system and make antibodies,” Kimberly says. “It is these antibodies that cause damage in people with autoimmune diseases.”
The UAB study, which involved 150 patients with lupus, found that BLyS serves the same function in humans. “It is likely that BLyS plays a critical role in triggering activation of B-cells in patients who have lupus, and we know that prolonged survival and activity of these cells contributes to the disease," Kimberly says.
Laboratory research found that by blocking the production of BLyS in mice with the disease, the mice got better. “In humans too, by blocking the production of BLyS, perhaps we can quiet the immune system and effectively treat the disease,” Kimberly says. “Also, by targeting BLyS, we may be able to treat the disease without all the side effects of current broad-based treatments. It’s very exciting.”
Other UAB researchers who were involved in the study include Dr. Tong Zhou, assistant professor of medicine; Dr. Graciela Alarcón, professor of medicine; Dr. Barri Fessler, assistant professor of medicine; and Dr. Holly Bastian, instructor of medicine. Scientists at Human Genome Sciences also collaborated on the study.