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Estrogenic Regulation Of The Immune System In A Murine Model For Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Matthew James Zuber

Biology Honors Papers

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is a damaging autoimmune disease afflicting millions of people worldwide. Lupus is characterized by an overabundance of autoantibodies, proteins directing the immune system to destroy a person's own body, what it would normally be protecting. The molecular mechanisms, environmental influences, and genetic predispositions of Lupus are not yet fully understood. However, nine out of ten Lupus patients are women between the age of puberty and menopause, when estrogen levels are highest. The fact that women are significantly more prone to suffer from Lupus than men leads experts to believe that the sex hormone estrogen which is present …