14.28 miles and bigger things

Fourteen miles (plus a smidge) of the park. A five mile loop, four mile loop, and then switched directions for another five mile loop. There is something supremely annoying about running in circles. If I'm going to fourteen miles, I'd kind of like the route to take me out seven miles to see something new. There are only so many times I need to see the Met's rear in the morning or that part where in exchange for their forced asphalt torture, the horses pollute the entire street.

One last complaint. Gu does not agree with my stomach, my mouth, my anything. Disgusting to eat and left me feeling sick to my stomach after. Blechhhh.

On the bright side, I ran over fourteen miles, or about 2.5 longer than I ever have before. Overheard much talk of chafing but experienced none of it. No (knock on wood) injuries. Inch by inch, life's a cinch, as the fortune cookie says.

I've hit and surpassed the half marathon mark and we've raised  over $1,000. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Far more exciting than my progress is the headway being made in medical research.  The FDA has granted priority review to Benlysta, the first lupus drug to complete Phase 3 Trials with positive results. December 9th is the expected decision date for the FDA.

Here's how it works (as best I can understand):

THE RESEARCH: In autoimmune diseases such as lupus, antibodies, which are supposed to protect the body from infection, attack the body's healthy tissue. These are called autoantibodies. Human Genome Sciences discovered a naturally occurring protein, a B-lymphocyte simulator, or "BLyS". BLyS turns B-lymphocyte cells into mature plasma B cells. These mature plasma B cells produce antibodies. All good. The problem is that in lupus and certain other autoimmune diseases, elevated levels of this protein are believed to contribute to the production of autoantibodies. Research studies have demonstrated a significant correlation between elevated BLyS levels and lupus disease activity.

THE DRUG: It's called Benlysta, and was developed by HGS in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline. Benlysta acts by: (1) specifically recognizing and binding to BLyS, (2) inhibiting BLyS’s stimulation of B-cell development, and (3) restoring the potential for autoantibody-producing B cells to undergo the normal process of apoptosis (programmed cell death). Clinical and nonclinical studies show that BLyS antagonists such as BENLYSTA can reduce autoantibody levels in lupus. The results of two pivotal Phase 3 trials, BLISS-52 and BLISS-76, suggest that the drug can reduce SLE disease activity. I haven't found any significant side effects, and it  is so far believed to be safe taken in combination with existing treatments.


If approved, Benlysta would be the first new lupus drug in 50 years. FIFTY YEARS. That's the Mad Men era, people.

Long story short, (1) It's high time for new drug therapies; (2) Promising research and testing is underway, and even if this drug doesn't work, we're coming a long way in understanding why autoimmune diseases surface, the first step to finding solutions; (3) Every dollar counts and the Lupus Research Institute has got somewhere good to put it.

Please consider supporting the promising research underway, grants given for exploration of exciting new ideas (more on an array of lupus drug development initiatives here), and my efforts running (often, in circles) in support of a cause that is near and dear to my heart and, apparently, B cells.

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