Deena Gibbons has had a long interest in immunology, in particular the development and function of the immune system in human infants, how this impacts lifelong immunity and subsequently the development of different autoimmune diseases .
Why nightmares and ‘daymares’ could be early warning signs of autoimmune disease
An increase in nightmares and hallucinations – or ‘daymares’ – could herald the onset of autoimmune diseases such as lupus, say an international team led by researchers at the University of Cambridge and King’s College London.
The researchers argue that there needs to be greater recognition that these types of mental health and neurological symptoms can act as an early warning sign that an individual is approaching a ‘flare’, where their disease worsens for a period.
Time to move on from ‘doctor knows best’, say experts, as study finds clinicians rank patient views as least important in diagnosis
Experts today call for more value to be given to patients’ ‘lived experiences’ as a study of over 1,000 patients and clinicians found multiple examples of patient reports being under-valued.
The research, led by a team at the University of Cambridge and Kings’ College London, found that clinicians ranked patient self-assessments as least important in diagnostic decisions, and said that patients both over- and under-played their symptoms more often than patients reported doing so.
Study finds ‘startling’ levels of hidden mental health symptoms among autoimmune disease patients
Association between COVID-19 and the risk of developing Autoimmune conditions
Dietary changes may improve symptoms in patients with SLE
Drug combination could be new lupus treatment
Lupus clues from cellular 'power stations'
Researchers at Imperial College London have revealed crucial insights into systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Previous studies from the same Imperial College researchers have suggested that immune cells called CD8 T cells, which normally help to destroy threats to the body such as viruses, appear to malfunction in SLE patients. This may play a role in the immune system spiralling out of control.
Vitamin D deficiency linked to metabolic changes in patients with lupus
Hydroxychloroquine ineffective against Covid-19
The role of the gut in the development of the immune system and how this is defective in SLE
Women 4 times more likely to develop Lupus after stillbirth
Women who suffer the tragedy of stillbirth are four times more likely to develop Lupus in later life than those who experience an uncomplicated birth, a study has found.
Researchers from Manchester found a link between stillbirths and connective tissue disorders — with the association with Lupus being by far the strongest.
Researchers discover protein that causes sex bias in some diseases
Genetic variations in the complement system — a part of the immune response — contribute to differences between men and women in their susceptibility to Sjögren’s syndrome, lupus, and schizophrenia, according to a study.
Ground-breaking research solves the 50-year-old question why some diseases exhibit a sex bias, hitting harder or eliciting different symptoms in men or women.
RECOVERY Trial (Covid-19)
There is a national trial in progress called RECOVERY which has four treatment arms, one of which is Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). . St Thomas’ is recruiting patients and the study is being coordinated by infectious disease, respiratory medicine and critical care consultants. The UK chief investigator is based in Oxford.
Plucked Hair Follicles May Be Useful in Diagnosing Scalp Lupus Erythematosus
Scientific discovery may lead to a treatment for lupus
When there is an excessive number or hyperactivation of immune cells, very high levels of proteins known as cytokines are released, resulting in a cytokine storm that causes severe and often irreversible tissue damage. This accounts for the crippling nature of many autoimmune disorders such as lupus.
Our research policy
Please note that our research only involves adult human volunteers. It is our policy never to test on animals or human embryo’s.
Ground-breaking discovery finds new link between autoimmune diseases and a gut bacterium
New discovery could improve diagnosis and treatment of lupus in black Africans
Two variants of an autoimmune disease that affects thousands but is hard to diagnose are relatively common among black Africans, research shows.
The findings, relating to systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE, could improve diagnosis and treatment of the condition.
They could enable better management of the disease in patients of African descent, particularly in southern Africa, where incidence and mortality rates are relatively high.
