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A Charlottesville company is helping to lead a global scientific effort to better understand and treat lupus, an autoimmune disease sometimes called “the cruel mystery.”
AMPEL Bio Solutions, a biomedical research consultation firm, is involved in multiple clinical trials of new drugs and treatments for lupus. The company hopes to use data from the human genome to develop personalized treatment plans for patients.
“The genes that can drive the disease are known,” said Amrie Grammer, co-founder and COO of AMPEL. “We are building a road map of lupus that will show the genes and drugs that can cut off the disease at the pass.”
Lupus causes a person’s immune system to attack their own tissues and organs. It often is manifested in sudden, unpredictable “flares” of illness. Its common symptoms — including fever, joint pain, rashes and fatigue — can be like those of many other diseases, making it difficult to diagnose.
Lupus nephritis, an inflammation of the kidney, is one of the most common and severe complications arising from systemic lupus. Pop singer Selena Gomez raised public awareness of the condition after undergoing a kidney transplant in 2017.
“If you lose a kidney, your heart can get destroyed, your lung can get destroyed — that’s what people die of,” Grammer said.
This spring, AMPEL began a clinical trial to test whether non-invasive imaging methods such as two-dimensional MRI can be used to monitor lupus nephritis instead of performing repeated biopsies on the kidneys.
The company is also close to completing a clinical trial of slow-release prednisone, a steroid that can alleviate lupus symptoms. AMPEL has hypothesized that the slower release of the drug could provide longer-lasting relief for patients.
Participants in the prednisone trial are using LuPRO, AMPEL’s novel mobile phone app that helps researchers remotely monitor the patients’ symptoms.