Defining the Metabolomic Signature of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and the Development of Novel Metabolite Therapies

Abstract

PUBLIC ABSTRACT Lupus is an autoimmune disease. In healthy individuals, the role of the immune system is to fight infections and eliminate cancer cells. In patients with lupus, the immune system is malfunctioning and, rather than attacking infectious agents, it attacks the body and tissues such as the skin, kidneys, brain, heart, lungs, and joints. It is a difficult disease to diagnose because symptoms are not very specific. As a result, this is a very difficult disease to treat. Most treatments are very toxic and are often discontinued because patients fail to tolerate them. Patients with lupus have a poor quality of life and often need hospital care to manage complications. Therefore, lupu..