Lindsey Shapiro, PhD, science writer —

A mutation in the TNIP1 gene resulted in a chronic autoimmune disease for two people, one of whom had symptoms similar to Sjögren’s disease, a study shows. The other patient had symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), another type of autoimmune disease. Experiments in mice with the mutation,…

Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals has launched a Phase 2b clinical trial to test its injectable therapy abiprubart against a placebo in people with Sjögren’s syndrome. The trial, mainly designed to assess the treatment’s effects on disease severity, is expected to involve about 201 Sjögren’s patients. Kiniksa reports that the trial…

Dry cough and shortness of breath were found to be significant predictors of interstitial lung disease (ILD) with scarring in patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome in a recent study. Patients with lung scarring, or fibrosis, also showed distinct features on CT scans and had a shorter disease duration than…

Osteoarthritis, rather than inflammatory arthritis, was the more common cause of joint pain among primary Sjögren’s syndrome patients in a small study. While arthritis is associated primarily with inflammation and swelling, osteoarthritis (OA) typically is linked to the mechanical wearing down of joints. Analyses revealed that older age and certain…

A gene called PSMC6 may be involved in driving inflammation and immune cell infiltration into the glands affected by primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS), a study found. PSMC6, which was more highly expressed, or active, in the blood of pSS patients than in that of healthy people, also was linked to lower…

Investigational therapy dazodalibep significantly eased symptom burden in people with Sjögren’s syndrome who have moderate-to-severe symptoms, but minimal systemic disease activity, meeting the goal of Horizon Therapeutics‘ Phase 2 clinical trial. Horizon previously announced the trial also met its other main goal of reducing disease activity in…

Age, disease duration, and blood levels of inflammatory markers Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) and TNF-alpha are the most discriminating factors for identifying Sjögren’s syndrome patients with interstitial lung disease, a study found. While less significantly associated, other inflammatory markers, including immunoglobulin M (IgM), c-reactive protein (CRP), eotaxin, and…

The anti-malaria medication artesunate could be a potential treatment of Sjögren’s syndrome, a study suggested. In mouse and cellular models, artesunate showed an ability to inhibit inflammatory T-helper 17 (Th17) cells and ease Sjögren’s symptoms. The study, “Artesunate suppresses Th17 response via inhibiting IRF4- mediated glycolysis…

Higher-than-normal blood levels of uric acid, a body waste product, significantly raise the risk of hypertension among people with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS), a study found. Findings suggest that monitoring uric acid levels may be one way to manage hypertension, or high blood pressure, to avoid cardiovascular problems arising later…

Levels of the inflammatory molecule IL-7 were higher in the blood of people with Sjögren’s syndrome compared with healthy people and were linked to greater disease severity and indicators of inflammation, a study found. A deeper review of literature relating to IL-7 and Sjögren’s across animal, cell cultures, and…