Scientists have discovered a cause of Lupus and a possible way to reverse it.

Lupus is a chronic, complex and prevalent autoimmune disease that affects mainly women aged 15 to 45. More than 20 000 Australians are living with this disease.

A groundbreaking study published in Nature has shed new light on lupus, revealing a key immune system imbalance at the heart of the disease. According to study co-author Deepak Rao, researchers discovered "a fundamental imbalance in the types of T cells that patients with lupus make." Simply put, lupus patients produce too many T cells that cause harm to healthy cells, and not enough of the kind that help with healing.

But there's hope. The culprit behind this imbalance appears to be an overactive protein called interferon. When there's too much interferon in the body, it disrupts another important protein—the aryl hydrocarbon receptor—which normally helps the immune system respond appropriately to bacteria and pollutants. This disruption triggers an overproduction of self-attacking T cells. The exciting part? Researchers found that a drug called Anifrolumab, which blocks interferon, can restore balance to the immune system—potentially stopping the disease in its tracks.