Doctors at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have opened two new lupus clinics in Queens and the Bronx, offering patients clinical care and access to cutting-edge research. The Feinstein Institute’s Lupus Initiative opens its doors to patients at St. Albans Clinic, part of Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, and Bronx Lebanon Hospital in the Bronx. The researchers are also seeing lupus patients at a clinic at Nassau University Medical Center.

About 1.5 million people in the United States have systemic lupus erythematosus, and most are women. It is three times more common in Asians, African-Americans and Hispanics than in Caucasians. It is an autoimmune disease and the symptoms are diverse and widespread. The body’s immune system wages an attack against its own tissues; the symptoms vary depending on what body organ is hit by the inflammatory immune response. It is the inflammatory response in the organs that leads to tissue damage. Patients are at risk for damage to the heart, lung, brain and blood vessels. Kidney damage, common among lupus patients, can be life-threatening.

Unraveling how the immune system wages an attack on the body it protects may lead to treatments, not only for lupus but for other immune-mediated conditions. Betty Diamond, MD, is head of The Feinstein’s Center for Autoimmune Diseases and she is spearheading studies to unravel the molecular pathways that trigger lupus, and develop ways to target treatment. She and her colleagues collect blood from patients to test for genes and also to figure out the immune system markers that are specific to the disease process. Patients can also volunteer to take a battery of cognitive tests and undergo brain scans that will ultimately help them identify biochemical clues to the disorder. There are also more than a dozen clinical drug trials for lupus patients at all stages of the disease process.

When the body's immune system senses a threat, it normally goes into action against a real enemy. B-cell lymphocytes respond to foreign invaders by making antibodies. Sometimes, the immune system creates antibodies against its own tissue -- and that is what happens in lupus. The B-cell lymphocytes target DNA released from dying cells and produce anti-DNA antibodies. This antibody is known to damage tissue in the kidneys, but Dr. Diamond and her colleagues say that there is growing evidence that the brain is affected as well. Some people with lupus have memory problems and others are beset with mental fog and fatigue, Dr. Diamond said. Neuropsychiatric symptoms are common in lupus and can include headaches, difficulty expressing thoughts, occasional seizures or strokes. They are trying to figure out how and why the anti-DNA antibodies trigger this damage.

“This new Lupus Initiative is very exciting,” said Silvia P. Heredia, community outreach director for the Lupus Alliance of America’s Long Island/Queens Affiliate. “It not only stands for a greater commitment from the scientific community, but more importantly a partnership between doctors and local community-based lupus organizations, which ultimately translates into better patient services and care.”

Dr. Diamond’s colleagues at The Feinstein, Cynthia Aranow, MD and Meggan Mackay, MD, will spend several days each week at the clinic to treat patients and discuss research opportunities. There are medical doctors and rheumatologists at each of the clinics. Participation in clinical research is free. Find more information on the new lupus clinics and the clinical trials underway at The Institute at 877 33-LUPUS.

About The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research

Headquartered in Manhasset, NY, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research is home to international scientific leaders in Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer’s disease, psychiatric disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, sepsis, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, human genetics, leukemia, lymphoma, neuroimmunology, and medicinal chemistry. The Feinstein Institute, part of the North Shore-LIJ Health System, ranks in the top 6th percentile of all National Institutes of Health grants awarded to research centers. Feinstein researchers are developing new drugs and drug targets, and producing results where science meets the patient. For more information, please visit www.FeinsteinInstitute.org or http://feinsteininstitute.typepad.com/feinsteinweblog/

Contact: Jamie Talan Science writer-in-residence (516) 562-1232