Bad cell fix gives hope to lupus patients

Australian researchers have made a “profound” discovery that offers a potential cure for auto-immune disease lupus.

A Monash University team said it had discovered how to fix a faulty cell believed to cause the disease.

The breakthrough treatment, in which the defective cells are replaced with protective molecules from healthy people, will be tested in a clinical trial to start in 2026.

It follows the team’s success in preclinical models using human lupus patient cells.

Lupus affects one in 1000 Australians, mainly women aged 15 to 40. There is no cure.

“I am very excited by this,” co-author Joshua Ooi said.

“This (method) has never been done before and leads to hope not just for this disease, but for other auto-immune diseases that affect up to 10 per cent of the population. If this works for lupus, it would open up a lot of doors for other diseases which are also incurable.”

Associate Professor Ooi said it would probably be delivered as a one-off treatment. It may also be developed as a treatment for diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

Co-author Eric Morand, who will help lead the clinical trials, describes the treatment’s effectiveness as “profound” and a “game-changer”.

He said the next steps were clinical trials to determine if the method is a long-term cure.

The unique method works by reintroducing to lupus patients special cells called regulatory T cells, which were lacking in people who had lupus and other auto-immune conditions.

Prof Ooi expected the treatment to be ready in five years.