Researchers discover that networks of proteins circulating in the blood influence the development and progression of chronic diseases.

Shanelle Gabriel was diagnosed with lupus — a chronic autoimmune disease that mostly affects women of African American and Hispanic descent — while she was at college. Today, as a singer, poet and advocate, she uses her voice to highlight challenges faced by people living with this complex and often misunderstood condition.

Photos: Brent Stirton, Getty Images for Novartis