Effect of Anifrolumab on Arterial Inflammation in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Study

It is known that people with SLE are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease because of ongoing inflammation in the body, but the effects of SLE therapies that target inflammation on blood vessels are unknown. Women aged between 35 to 44 are 50 times more likely to have a heart attack than their peers. The risk of stroke, peripheral vascular disease and heart failure is also increased by 2 to 3 fold. The AISLE study aims to investigate the effects of treating active SLE with an interferon receptor inhibitor (anifrolumab) on arterial inflammation using 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/MRI. Our previous research has shown this imaging method to be effective for tracking macrophage-related arterial inflammation in the cardiovascular system. Patients with active SLE and a clinical SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) score of ≥4 who meet the eligibility criteria will be invited to participate in the study. All participants will receive anifrolumab therapy in addition to their current SLE treatments, for a total duration of 16 weeks, with imaging performed at baseline and at the end of treatment. CTCA will also be performed, as well as blood sampling for markers of inflammation. This study will provide valuable information about the effects of anifrolumab on blood vessel inflammation in patients with SLE measured by PET imaging. We expect that this research will also contribute to the wider understanding of how inflammation lowering drugs could be used in general cardiovascular patients to prevent future heart attacks and strokes.