Oxidized Mitochondrial DNA from Immune Cells Enhances Damaging Effects of Lupus, Researchers Say

In a new study, researchers at the Baylor Institute for Immunology Research in Dallas, Texas, showed that immune cells, called neutrophils, in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) release oxidized DNA from their mitochondria, stimulating a damaging immune response. Therapies targeting the pathway that lead to the accumulation of this DNA, or finding those…