Lupus Research

What is lupus?

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), commonly known as lupus, is a severe, chronic autoimmune disease that causes widespread inflammation and can result in irreversible damage to vital organs including the brain, kidneys, heart, lungs, joints, skin, blood and central nervous system.

Lupus has a profound impact on quality of life, contributing to significant physical and psychological burden, increased risk of organ failure, and shortened life expectancy. The disease is associated with substantial morbidities and remains a leading cause of mortality among young women with chronic illness. Given its complexity, multisystem involvement, and the lack of curative treatments, lupus remains a critical area for research innovation and multidisciplinary collaboration.

YouTube video (2.37min). Prof Eric Morand talks about living with lupus and the impact of our research

Lupus is the most common autoimmune disease; affecting at least 5 million people worldwide and 1 in 2000 people in Australia. It's diagnosed predominantly in young women - 90 per cent of whom develop the disease between the ages of 15-44. A woman diagnosed at age 20 has an almost 10 per cent chance of death before reaching 40.
Lupus has an extremely high prevalence and severity in Indigenous Australians and Asians, making it a major health concern for the Australian medical community.
Although there is no effective specific treatment for SLE - the majority of patients diagnosed with SLE today are still treated with antimalarials, cytotoxic immunosuppressants and, in around 70 per cent of cases, glucocorticoids - the majority of patients can benefit from treatment and enjoy their lives.
Despite combination therapy with current drugs, many studies show that the majority of patients suffer inadequate disease control and may develop signs of organ damage over time. Current immunosuppressive therapies come with increased risk of infection, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and other complications. The morbidity associated with these complications highlights the urgent and currently unmet need for safer more effective therapies for lupus.
Monash is leading the way in the research and treatment of lupus in Australia. Our researchers are clinician-scientists - a typical day at work might see them in the lab conducting research, teaching medical students face-to-face or online, and seeing patients in our clinics.
Uncovering and developing new lupus treatments and conducting clinical trials is a key focus of our lupus research.
Find out more about our research.
For more information we recommend these resources:
- Arthritis Australia
- Lupus Foundation of America
Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) is one of our funding bodies. Prof Eric Morand, Head of Rheumatology group is a winner of LRA Distinguished Innovator Award. See Prof Morand's research portfolio for further information.

The Monash Lupus Clinic

The Monash Lupus Clinic at Monash Health was founded in a unique collaboration between the Rheumatology and Nephrology units of Monash Health. It is now Australia's largest lupus-specific clinic, and has the most extensive serum databank in Australia; with samples dating back to its 2006 foundation. Care is provided by a multidisciplinary team of specialists, aiming to provide the highest possible standards of clinical care in a research-informed environment.

Prof Alberta Hoi is a lupus and arthritis clinician-scientist. Along with holding the position of Head of the Monash Lupus Clinic, Dr Hoi is also a chief investigator in the Rheumatology Research Group.
Find out more about Prof Alberta Hoi.
With patients' consent and approval by local research ethics committees, longitudinal, prospectively-gathered clinical data is collected at the Monash Lupus Clinic, now forming the largest database of clinical information on SLE in Australia. Data is linked to a large biobank of serum, DNA, and other samples, allowing the study of relationships between newly discovered molecules and disease manifestations in SLE.
The sheer size of our databank benefits both patients and researchers. If you're a researcher or academic we encourage you to contact us for access to this invaluable resource.
The Australian Lupus Registry is designed as a colloboration between centres and institutes around Australia to improve treatment and outcomes for people suffering from lupus.
You'll find us at Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Clinic A and we're open every Tuesday 1.30pm to 5.00pm. Please call 1300 3 iCARE (1300 342 273) to make an appointment.
A referral is required to make an appointment with the Monash Lupus Clinic. Your general practitioner (GP), specialist, or Monash Health can issue your referral. Unfortunately we cannot see you without a referral. Clinics appointments are bulk-billed as per current Medicare arrangements.

TRM-SLE project

The Treatment Response Measure for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (TRM-SLE) project is developing a new clinical outcome assessment for SLE clinical trials that accurately measures treatment effects that are clinically meaningful to clinicians and patients and defeats the limitations of current clinical trial outcome measures. Find out more.

Donate to lupus research

The Kim Jolly Lupus Research Fund

In 2007, Kim Jolly, daughter of Christine and Rob Jolly, passed away due to complications associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a serious, incurable and debilitating multisystem autoimmune and chronic inflammatory disease.

In honour of Kim’s memory, and in partnership with Lupus Victoria, the Kim Jolly Lupus Research Fund was established to support and accelerate research into better treatments for Australians living with lupus, with the ultimate goal of finding a cure.

Make a secure, tax-deductible donation (for contributions of $2 and above) to the Kim Jolly Lupus Research Fund today. Your generous donation will be used in furthering research to treat and cure this debilitating and all too often deadly disease.

Donate to Kim Jolly Lupus Research Fund
in the link, please enter "Kim Jolly Lupus Research Fund" for "Area of giving"

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