Rufei Lu, M.D., Ph.D.

My research focuses on understanding autoimmune diseases like lupus and their impact on the body, particularly how they affect both general health and the nervous system. We use advanced technologies to study genes, cells, and proteins to uncover what causes these diseases and how they progress over time.

We're developing new ways to predict who might get these diseases early on and how best to treat them. By using machine learning and other modern techniques, we hope to create better tests and personalized treatment plans. We're also exploring how these diseases affect the brain and nerves, aiming to improve our understanding and treatments for both the autoimmune disease itself and its neurological effects.

Ultimately, our goal is to improve early detection and treatment of autoimmune diseases and to better understand and manage their impact on the nervous system.

My research focuses on dissecting the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases and translating these fundamental findings into clinically actionable prediction models for disease prevention and therapy optimization. With my background in neuropathology, my research also emphasizes the neurological manifestations of these debilitating conditions.

To understand the genetically and clinically diverse systemic autoimmune diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus, our laboratory takes an integrated and system-level approach by analyzing extensive genetic data, single-cell level transcriptomics, as well as longitudinally collected cellular composition and soluble proteomic data.  The secondary focus of my research will be utilizing current machine learning algorithms and exploring new analytic algorithms to create both accurate diagnostic and prognostic models for autoimmune disease and interpretable biological functional network models that delineate the differences between canonical and diseased states.

Recent studies, including my work in understanding the critical role of autoimmunity in neurodegeneration, have demonstrated intricate interplays between the nervous and immune systems. In the process of deciphering the complex etiology of systemic autoimmune disease, our group will place a special emphasis on unraveling the effects of autoimmunity on the neurological system by leveraging both high-throughput in vitro assay and animal models.

Ultimately, our work aims to advance the understanding of systemic autoimmune diseases, enhance early detection and treatment strategies, and shed light on the neurological implications of these complex disorders.

Education
B.S., University of Oklahoma, 2008
Ph.D., Pathology, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, 2015
M.D., University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, 2017

Honors and Awards
Nancy K. Hall Outstanding First Year Resident, 2018
Perry Lambird Pathology Resident, 2019
Department of Pathology Research Award, 2019
Perry Lambird Pathology Resident Award, 2020
Parker-Heartland Award for Excellence in Pathology Graduate Medical Education, 2020
Lloyd Rader Award for Outstanding Resident, 2021

Memberships
College of American Pathologists, 2017-present
American Medical Association, 2012-present
American Medical Student Association, 2012-present

View more publications

Lu R, Vidal GS, Kelly JA, Delgado-Vega AM, Howard XK, Macwana SR, Dominguez N, Klein W, Burrell C, Harley IT, Kaufman KM, Bruner GR, Moser KL, Gaffney PM, Gilkeson GS, Wakeland EK, Li QZ, Langefeld CD, Marion MC, Divers J, Alarcón GS, Brown EE, Kimberly RP, Edberg JC, Ramsey-Goldman R, Reveille JD, McGwin G Jr, Vilá LM, Petri MA, Bae SC, Cho SK, Bang SY, Kim I, Choi CB, Martin J, Vyse TJ, Merrill JT, Harley JB, Alarcón-Riquelme ME; BIOLUPUS and GENLES Multicenter Collaborations, Nath SK, James JA, Guthridge JM. Genetic associations of LYN with systemic lupus erythematosus. Genes Immun. 2009 Jul;10(5):397-403. PMCID: PMC2750001.

Lu R, Guthridge JM, Sun H, Sun C, Wiley GB, Dominguez N, Macwana SR, Lessard CJ, Kim-Howard X, Cobb BL, Kaufman KM, Kelly JA, Langefeld CD, Adler AJ, Harley IT, Merrill JT, Gilkeson GS, Kamen DL, Niewold TB, Brown EE, Edberg JC, Petri MA, Ramsey-Goldman R, Reveille JD, Vilá LM, Kimberly RP, Freedman BI, Stevens AM, Boackle SA, Criswell LA, Vyse TJ, Behrens TW, Jacob CO, Alarcón-Riquelme ME, Sivils KL, Choi J, Joo YB, Bang SY, Lee HS, Bae SC, Shen N, Qian X, Tsao BP, Scofield RH, Harley JB, Webb CF, Wakeland EK, James JA, Nath SK, Graham RR, Gaffney PM. Two functional lupus-associated BLK promoter variants control cell-type- and developmental-stage-specific transcription. Am J Hum Genet. 2014 Apr 3;94(4):586-98. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2014.03.008. PMCID: PMC3980411.

Lu R, Munroe ME, Guthridge JM, Bean KM, Fife DA, Chen H, Slight-Webb SR, Keith MP, Harley JB, and James JA. Dysregulation of innate and adaptive serum mediators precedes systemic lupus erythematosus classification and improves prognostic accuracy of autoantibodies. J Autoimmun. 2016 Nov;74:182-193. PMCID:

Lu R, Guthridge JM, Chen H, Bourn RL, Kamp S, Munroe ME, Macwana SR, Bean K, Sridharan S, Merrill JT, James JA. Immunologic findings precede rapid lupus flare after transient steroid therapy. Sci Rep. 2019 Jun 13;9(1):8590. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-45135-w. Sci Rep. 2019 Nov 20;9(1):17514. PMCID: PMC6565690.

Arthritis & Clinical Immunology Research Program, MS 53
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
825 N.E. 13th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73104

E-mail: Rufei-Lu@omrf.org

For media inquiries, please contact OMRF’s Office of Public Affairs at news@omrf.org.

Anne Thomas
Research Technician III

Levi Jones
Research Technician I

Veronica Gregory
Administrative Assistant IV