Systemic Lupus erythematosus (SLE)

A project led by Professor Christian Hedrich, Professor of Child Health and Honorary Consultant Paediatric Rheumatologist.

Systemic Lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease in which the body’s own immune system attacks itself.  SLE can develop at any age.  Over a lifetime, more women than men develop the disease.  Before puberty, however, gender distribution is almost equal.  In light of these observations and as children exhibit higher disease activity and more frequently develop complications, it appears likely that the mechanisms driving the disease may be different depending on the age of disease onset.  Children who develop lupus before puberty may be more influenced by genetic changes, whereas patients developing disease after puberty may require other, namely hormonal or environmental factors, to develop SLE.

Understanding differences in the expression of key proteins of the immune system and their relationship with the age at disease-onset and/or disease-associated complications may aid in identifying factors that contribute to the disease development and progression.  

The aim of this study is to measure key proteins of the immune system and integrate this information with clinical datasets from the UK jSLE Cohort Study to test their applicability as biomarkers for the diagnosis or outcome prediction in jSLE or guides in the search for differential pathomechanisms in early-onset jSLE vs. post-pubertal-onset jSLE.

Findings will be verified in a targeted manner in samples from larger international cohorts, accessed through collaboration with New York, Cape Town and Cincinnati.

The study will provide robust preliminary data which will aid in the attraction of larger funding for PhD studentships and project grants. 

Findings from the study will be communicated to the scientific community.