New Signals in Blood May Help to Understand Lupus Better

Scientific Study Title:

Mapping anti-mitochondrial antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus

Study Start Date: 

2019/01

End Date:

2022/01

Why Do This Research?

Lupus or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex and unpredictable disease that can lead to irreversible organ damage. Patients with lupus have specific proteins in their blood that are absent in healthy people. Researchers believe that these proteins could represent a new signal for diagnosing and understanding lupus.

Our goals are to:

(1) Measure the presence of 10 different specific proteins in this group of lupus patients; (2) define which of the 10 proteins is linked with lupus.

What Will Be Done?

We will study blood samples and clinical data from a large group of lupus patients followed since the time of their diagnosis at yearly intervals between years 2000 and 2018.

Who Is Involved?

Scientists, a biostatistician, a patient representative, and lupus patients.

Research Team

Principal Investigator:

Paul Fortin, MD, MPH, FRCPC, Senior Scientist, Rheumatology, Arthritis Research Canada (Université Laval)

Co-investigators:

Michal Abrahamowicz, PhD, Research Scientist, Biostatistics, Arthritis Research Canada (McGill University)

Eric Boilard,

Joyce Rauch

Research Staff:

A senior Research Coordinator, a laboratory technician, a biostatistician, a doctoral student, and a bachelor student.

Funding Agency

Canadian Institutes of Health Research