Sequential Belimumab and T-cell Based Therapy in SLE
Status:
Not yet recruiting
Trial end date:
2023-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a disease in which the immune system (the bodily system
that fights infection) attacks the body's own cells and tissues, causing inflammation and
organ damage if not promptly and appropriately managed. Autoantibodies (specific proteins
produced by the immune system which participate in attacking self tissues and organs) are the
hallmarks of SLE which are produced by a specific type of white blood cells called B cells.
Belimumab (Benlysta®) is a monoclonal antibody against the B cells by blocking the action of
BLyS, a protein that prolongs the longevity and enhances the functions of B cells and is
found to be elevated in patients with SLE, was approved by the FDA to treat patients with
SLE. This study aims to study the effects of Belimumab on T cells, another specific type of
white blood cells which also play a crucial role in SLE, in patients with SLE. In this trial,
80 adult patients with SLE will be recruited, 40 of them will be assigned to receive
intravenous (IV) Belimumab with standard of care therapy (SOC), and 40 to receive SOC only.
After 48 weeks of exposure to Belimumab + SOC and SOC alone, the phenotype and functions of T
cells will be studied and compared.