Beyond Biotech podcast 44

This week’s podcast is sponsored by Lonza.

May is Lupus Awareness Month, and to talk about lupus research with us this week on the podcast are Katherine Tran, senior global market development & marketing manager of the proteomics division at SCIEX, and Allan Stensballe, associate professor, Department of Health Science and Technology and associate professor, The Faculty of Medicine, at Aalborg University in Denmark.

Each May, The Lupus Foundation of America gathers the lupus community to make lupus visible.

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease where the immune system can’t tell the difference between healthy tissues and foreign invaders. This can result in inflammation, pain, and damage to any organ system in the body. Common symptoms include extreme fatigue, debilitating joint pain, skin rashes, and swelling. While lupus can affect anyone, people with lupus overwhelmingly consist of women and disproportionately impacts certain racial and ethnic backgrounds, including Black/African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian-American and Pacific Islander.

Due to the mysterious and elusive nature of this disease, many of the symptoms of lupus aren’t always visible, and can often result in years of misdiagnosis and inadequate treatment. And, because many of its symptoms and impact aren’t always seen, it can lead to those living with lupus to feel misunderstood and isolated.