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There are literally hundreds of new drugs hitting the market each year. Why write about this particular drug? The drug bears discussion because it is the first one in 50 years to treat a disease called Lupus. Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system turns against part of the body it is designated to protect. It causes debilitating joint pain, organ damage and skin rashes. Up to now the key medication used to treat Lupus are steroids.
A team of researchers from Human Genome Sciences (HGSI) headed by William Haseltine started looking at genes and their special functions. The problem was that there was no gene known to cause Lupus. So they started thinking outside the box. Instead of finding the gene first and then its function, they looked for the function then found the gene called BLyS that is elevated in Lupus. The new drug is called Benlysta.
Continue reading Pioneer Gene Research Yields New Treatment for Lupus
Pioneer Gene Research Yields New Treatment for Lupus originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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