As a physician and researcher, I have witnessed great progress in our understanding of lupus and other autoimmune diseases. During the last three decades, the many layers of the immune system have been slowly unraveled. A normal immune system is critical to preserving one's health; but when the immune system malfunctions, various autoimmune diseases may occur. In autoimmune disease, the immune system appears to have escaped its normal controls; and what follows is a sequence of immune reactions that eventually lead to tissue damage.