Research advances in targeted therapy of lupus nephritis

As the most common secondary glomerulonephritis in China, lupus nephritis (LN) is one of the most severe consequences of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Currently the sole option of treating LN clinically is with hormones plus immunosuppressants for managing symptoms and arresting the loss of renal function. However, recurrent remains high due to a low complete remission rate of LN. With in-depth pathophysiological understandings of LN, numerous biological agents and therapeutic techniques targeting B cells as well as biological agents against cytokine activation have been developed in recent years. This review summarized the latest advances of targeted biological agents and therapeutic approaches to provide references for clinical practices.