UK’s biggest-ever study of lupus genes

The UK's biggest-ever study to discover the genes that cause the incurable autoimmune disease, lupus, is set to considerably advance understanding of the disease and could result in a genetic test predicting who is most likely to develop the condition. Researchers at King's are taking advantage of the latest advances in gene technology to analyse DNA samples from 5,000 people with lupus from all over the UK, Europe and Canada, in order to identify the full set of genes that predispose them to getting the condition. They are being funded by a grant of £1.7million from medical research charity Arthritis Research UK. Lupus, also known as systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE, is a serious inflammatory disease that affects the skin, joints and internal organs, and in severe cases can be fatal. There is no cure and people with the condition may have to take medication for the rest of their lives. However, current drugs are not particularly effective and many sufferers have a poor quality of life. As well as finding out how many genes contribute to the development of lupus, the team at King's also wants to establish whether genes that cause the condition also influence the severity or type of lupus and whether particular organs of the body such as the heart or kidneys are likely to be involved.