Getting to the Bottom of Lupus Biology

Medscape—November 7, 2017

Medscape interviewed HSS physician-in-chief and chief of Rheumatology Mary K. Crow, MD about her research exploring the pathologic basis for lupus.

When asked how she became involved in lupus research, Dr. Crow said "I think it is the case that for many lupus investigators who are physician scientists, their first encounter with a lupus patient influenced their careers…. It's just very compelling when you think about how severe the disease can be, how debilitating and life-changing it can be, and then also how interesting it is from an immunologic point of view."

To reduce risk factors in lupus, Dr. Crow said that timely diagnosis is important.

"The disease has a complex clinical picture, and I think what you need is an experienced physician, usually a rheumatologist, to put together both the clinical picture and the laboratory data to make a diagnosis," she said.

Dr. Crow expressed her research goals for the future and said, "I think that our own lab… is just going deeper and deeper into understanding the underlying mechanisms of lupus. As we get more detailed insight, I think we will have better ideas about how to develop therapies for the disease."

Read the full interview at Medscape.com [subscription required].