Lupus nephritis is among the most serious complications of SLE, occurring in 30 – 60% of individuals with SLE. In lupus nephritis, the body’s own immune system attacks the kidneys, causing inflammation and significantly reducing kidney function over time.

While there have been recent FDA approvals for lupus nephritis treatments, there is still a great need to reduce the use of high-dose corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs. These therapies have many toxic side effects and as many as 50% – 75% of patients don’t respond to treatment and for those that do, there is only about a 40% complete response rate crucial for long-term renal survival. The CD6-ALCAM signaling pathway itolizumab is designed to affect, plays a central role in the modulation of effector T cells, or Teff cells. Teff cells are thought to play a central role in multiple autoimmune diseases including lupus nephritis.