The Lupus Academy

Professors Zahir Amoura and David Isenberg reflect with our host Dr Raquel Faria on the 15th Annual Lupus Academy Meeting in Bratislava. They discuss the debate over early biologic treatment and explore what biomarkers, CAR T-cell therapy, cardiovascular prevention and artificial intelligence could mean for more personalised lupus care.

Disclaimer: During Lupus Academy podcast episodes, participants may refer to off label use of medicines forpatients with lupus. Lupus Academy does not make any recommendations about using a medicine outside the terms of its approved licence for use.

In this episode of The Lupus Academy podcast with Sandra Navarra, we dive into the stark global disparities in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) care, diagnosis, and patient outcomes across different regions and populations.From socioeconomic barriers and access to targeted therapies to ethnic variations in disease severity, we examine how geographic and systemic factors shape the lived reality of people with lupus worldwide. 

Released ahead of our meeting in Bratislava, this episode serves as essential foundational listening. It sets the stage by framing core principles of health equity in rheumatology, providing context that will allow you to engage directly with the presentation, Health Inequalities in SLE: A GlobalPerspective. 

This episode was originally released in December 2024.

Disclaimer: During Lupus Academy podcast episodes, participants may refer to off label use of medicines forpatients with lupus. Lupus Academy does not make any recommendations about using a medicine outside the terms of its approved licence for use.

In this episode our host Dr Raquel Faria discusses the latest research into the course of cognitive impairment in patients with SLE from Zahi Touma’s team at Toronto Western Hospital Lupus Clinic, with Zahi Touma and Murray Urowitz.

Disclaimer: During Lupus Academy podcast episodes, participants may refer to off label use of medicines for patients with lupus. Lupus Academy does not make any recommendations about using a medicine outside the terms of its approved licence for use.

Dr Raquel Faria and Professors David Isenberg and Ricard Cervera discuss selected highlights from EULAR 2026. Join us for a groundbreaking discussion on the latest in lupus.

Disclaimer: During Lupus Academy podcast episodes, participants may refer to off label use of medicines for patients with lupus. Lupus Academy does not make any recommendations about using a medicine outside the terms of its approved licence for use.

In this episode our host Dr Raquel Faria discusses the latest research into the gut microbiome and lupus nephritis from Gregg Silverman’s team at NYU, with Gregg Silverman and Richard Furie.

Disclaimer: During Lupus Academy podcast episodes, participants may refer to off label use of medicines for patients with lupus. Lupus Academy does not make any recommendations about using a medicine outside the terms of its approved licence for use.

In this episode our host Dr Raquel Faria discusses two challenging cases with Professors Maria Dall’Era and Ronald van Vollenhoven of the Lupus Academy Steering Committee.

The two cases include:

1. Myositis, ILD, and the long-term lupus patient whose long-term management never truly stays in one box.

2. The nuances of a "slow-burn" pediatric-to-adult SLE transition, focusing on the diagnostic challenges of the "pre-lupus" label and the management of high-interferon phenotypes.

Disclaimer: During Lupus Academy podcast episodes, participants may refer to off label use of medicines for patients with lupus. Lupus Academy does not make any recommendations about using a medicine outside the terms of its approved licence for use.

Dr Raquel Faria and Professors Ricard Cervera and Ronald van Vollenhoven discuss selected highlights from the 15th European Lupus Meeting. Join us for a groundbreaking discussion on the latest in lupus.

Disclaimer: During Lupus Academy podcast episodes, participants may refer to off label use of medicines for patients with lupus. Lupus Academy does not make any recommendations about using a medicine outside the terms of its approved licence for use.

In this episode host Dr. Raquel Faria (Portugal) is joined by Professors David Isenberg (UK) and Ricard Cervera (Spain) to navigate the high-stakes complexities of haematological manifestations in SLE.  Through the lens of two remarkable 20-year patient journeys, the experts explore the "coagulation tightrope"—the life-threatening balance between aggressive systemic clotting and profound bleeding risks.

Disclaimer: ‘During Lupus Academy podcast episodes, participants may refer to off label use of medicines for patients with lupus. Lupus Academy does not make any recommendations about using a medicine outside the terms of its approved licence for use.’

Since this episode was released for the first time in May 2023, two recent studies of note have been published, providing an important update on patients’ experiences of SLE in Latin America and Europe. These publications are summarisedbelow (full publications are available online):

Study Summary:The Patient Experience of SLE in Latin America

Quintana R, et al. Living with systemic lupus erythematosus in 2024: Latin American experience based on a patient survey. Clin Rheumatol. 2025 Dec 5. doi: 10.1007/s10067-025-07867-1.

This 2024 GLADEL network survey of 1,180 Latin American patients reveals a profound "well-being gap" in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) care. While 80.9% receive antimalarials and two-thirds feel "controlled," clinical stability masks a pervasive psychosocial crisis.

The data shows that 60% of patients suffer from anxiety or depression, and 62.1% report significant professional or educational setbacks. Physical burdens remain high, including joint involvement (71.4%), skin issues (47.4%), and life-altering renal complications (37.5%). Furthermore, 43.7% noted negative impacts on emotional and sexual health.

Despite heavy reliance on corticosteroids (55.7%), uptake of newer biologics remains low at 11.1%. These findings serve asa critical call for Latin American healthcare systems to adopt a "Treat-to-Target" model. This approach must move beyond mere symptom management to prioritize the restoration of a patient’s social, mental, and professional agency.

Study Summary:Unmet Needs of SLE Patients in Europe

Cornet A, et al. Experiences and unmet needs of persons living with systemic lupus erythematosus in Europe: LupusEurope's 2024 Swiss knife survey. Autoimmun Rev. 2025 Jul 31;24(8):103838. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2025.103838.

The 2024 "Swiss Knife" survey by Lupus Europe reveals a significant "perception gap" among 4,525 patients across 36 countries. While 66.5% believe their lupus is "under control," only 7.9% remained flare-free over five years, indicating a normalization of chronic symptoms.

Several unmet needs remain. The study found that fatigue is the most prevalent symptom (84.9%) but remains the least addressed in clinical plans. Joint and muscle pain also remain high. Patients seek remission or low disease activity, yet 32% lack access to essential non-pharmacological therapies like physiotherapy. Over 31% report insufficient consultation time, often leaving discontent unvoiced.  Finaly, adoption of digital health tools remains low at 14.3%.

The survey concludes that European SLE management must shift toward patient-centered care, prioritizing better physician-patient communication and digital health integration to address the disease’s true physical and psychological burden.

In this episode Dr Raquel Faria is speaking with Jeanette Andersen (Chair of Lupus Europe) and Professors Ricard Cervera and Maria Dall'Era.

You can visit the Lupus Europe website here: ⁠https://www.lupus-europe.org/⁠

Disclaimer: ‘During Lupus Academy podcast episodes, participants may refer to off label use of medicines for patients with lupus. Lupus Academy does not make any recommendations about using a medicine outside the terms of its approved licence for use.’

In this episode our host Dr Raquel Faria, together with Professors David Isenberg and Richard Furie, explore the first major update to the Lupus Treatment Guidelines in 25 years, highlighting aggressive steroid sparing, universal hydroxychloroquine use, and the revolutionary potential of CAR T-cell therapy. Discover how precision medicine is shifting the standard of care from broad immunosuppression to targeted, personalized recovery.

Disclaimer: During Lupus Academy podcast episodes, participants may refer to off-label use of medicines for patients with lupus. Lupus Academy does not make anyrecommendations about using a medicine outside the terms of its approved license for use.