Backed by a new $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, an Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientist hopes to better understand the connection between a specific gene and lupus.
By the end of her three-year study, Jacquelyn Gorman, Ph.D., hopes to uncover why a change in the gene known as IFIH1 causes the immune system to go into overdrive and attack someone’s own tissues. This knowledge could someday lead to new drugs that tame the “overdrive” process.
“Normally, IFIH1 helps your body detect viruses,” Gorman said. “From previous research, we believe a variant in this gene can make it too sensitive, causing the body to stay inflamed and eventually attack itself, leading to lupus and other autoimmune diseases.”
Lupus most often features periods of flares and remission, and in some cases it can lead to kidney failure. According to the Lupus Foundation of America, it affects more than 1.5 million Americans and 5 million people worldwide, primarily women. While the causes are not well understood, scientists believe the disorder is linked to the interaction of a person’s genetics with environmental exposures and other factors.
Existing drugs can treat lupus symptoms, which include fatigue, joint pain, fever, skin rashes and sensitivity to sunlight. However, no single test can detect the disease, which makes diagnosis challenging.
The Defense Department is interested in lupus research because the chronic disease is among the main risk factors behind medical discharges. In fact, a 2022 study by Stanford University scientists revealed that military members with lupus were 40% more likely than their comrades to leave the service early.
For the study, Gorman’s lab will use existing blood samples from lupus patients at OMRF’s Rheumatology Research Center of Excellence while also studying a mouse model genetically engineered with the IFIH1 mutation and lupus-like manifestations.
“Although the scientific community has made significant gains to understand and treat lupus, our patients still suffer,” said OMRF Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Judith James, M.D., Ph.D., who is considered one of the world’s foremost lupus experts. “We hope Dr. Gorman’s research will help us more easily detect biomarkers in people who may transition into overt disease and better predict how patients will respond to certain lupus therapies.”
Gorman’s grant is No. HT9425-25-1-0314. Prior research that made this grant possible was supported by National Institutes of Health grant No. P20GM139763 and funding from the Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research, a program of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust.
