Lupus Center

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The WashU Medicine Lupus Center was established in March 2014 by Dr. Al Kim, recognizing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) as one of the most challenging autoimmune diseases to diagnose and manage as it impacts multiple organ systems and requires multidisciplinary care. The Center was designed to address three primary goals: providing specialized rheumatology, dermatology, and nephrology care, enhancing support services by collaborating with SLE-focused non-profit organizations, and spearheading clinical and translational research in SLE.

Under the expert direction of Dr. Al Kim, the Lupus Center currently serves over 600 patients with moderate to severe SLE from nine states, making us one of the Lupus Centers in the US. Our dedicated team consists of four rheumatologists (Drs. Kim, Akhil Sood, Lisa Zickuhr, and Reema Syed) and a nephrologist (Dr. Tingting Li, Director of the WashU Glomerular Center of Excellence). We have also established a valuable partnership with the Lupus Foundation of America-Heartland Section LFA-HS) to provide patients with additional informational resources on living with SLE. Dr. Kim’s leadership contributions, including serving on the LFA-HS Board of Advisors and as Chair of the Program Committee, earned him the prestigious Lupus Leadership Award in 2018.

Dr. Kim also is involved in lupus leadership globally. He serves on the Lupus Foundation of America’s Medical-Scientific Advisory Council, which is comprised of leading lupus medical experts in North America. He also served on the Scientific Advisory Board for the Lupus Research Alliance (LRA), the world’s largest lupus research funding agency. He continues to contribute to the LRA in multiple roles including Co-Chair of the Phenotypic Subgroup within the Lupus ABC Immune Reset Phenotypic Working Group, Co-Chair of the Biomarker Roadmap Committee, and member of the Cellular Therapy Advisory Group. Finally, he is a Core Member of the OMERACT SLE Working Group, the world’s largest organization developing more accurate measurements of SLE disease activity and SLE’s impacts on patients for real-world and clinical trial use.

The Lupus Center is a hub for groundbreaking clinical and translational research. Currently, seven research projects addressing critical unmet needs in SLE are underway. Notably, the NIH-funded CASTLE (Complement Activation Signatures in sysTemic Lupus Erythematosus) study, led by Dr. Kim, has garnered international recognition. Additionally, the Lupus Center has been a member of the LuCIN (Lupus Clinical Investigators Network) for the past 10 years, a consortium aimed at identifying and developing new SLE therapies. This exciting opportunity, led by Dr. Syed, allows our patients to participate in interventional clinical trials testing the latest therapies for SLE. In addition, Dr. Kim spearheads cellular therapy (CAR-T, CAR-NK, T cell engagers) clinical trials in SLE in close collaboration with the Siteman Cancer Center. Finally, we are one of the top research sites for the Lupus Research Alliance’s Lupus Landmark Study, which is the world’s largest effort to characterize the clinical, patient journey, and molecular signatures that define SLE. Dr. Kim is one of the leading study investigators for this critical study.

The Lupus Center’s commitment to research training has also been recognized. Several trainees within our infrastructure have been awarded competitive Rheumatology Research Foundation preceptorship grants. Jennifer Ra, a senior at Washington University, earned the prestigious Gina M. Finzi Research Fellowship from the Lupus Foundation of America, working under the mentorship of Dr. Kim.

We remain dedicated to providing state-of-the-art patient-centered care, valuable community service, impactful clinical and translational research, and training the next generation of dedicated lupus clinicians and researchers. Our unwavering commitment will solidify the WashU Medicine Lupus Center as a global leader in SLE care.

Clinic Location

Director

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