About Our National Lupus Research Program
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Lupus is a complex disease that requires comprehensive solutions. We use a unique multi-disciplinary approach: lead scientific initiatives, fund lupus researchers, and advocate for expanded public and private investment in research on lupus. Top lupus experts from many medical specialties help us identify the most pressing scientific challenges. We then aggressively pursue a research agenda to find the answers to the most important questions in lupus.
We Tackle the Biggest Challenges in Lupus Research
For decades, the Lupus Foundation of America has been ahead of the curve for research on lupus. We established the first private national lupus research program when we assembled the best minds and began funding groundbreaking studies that laid the foundation for the research advances we see today. Our early investments in lupus research have laid the groundwork for identifying people at highest risk for lupus and stopping the disease before it starts. Our national research program, Bringing Down the Barriers™, continues to support vital studies to advance the science and medicine of lupus and improve the quality of life for all people living with lupus. Read more about our national research program goals. Read more: We Lead the Fight to End Lupus
We Have a Proud Record of Achievement in Lupus Research
The Foundation’s efforts provided $63 million for lupus research studies. We awarded more than 400 grants totaling nearly $23 million to lupus investigators representing almost every major U.S. academic medical center. Our advocacy efforts generated an additional $40 million in Congressional appropriations to fund specific lupus research studies. These funds enabled lupus research studies that otherwise may not have been possible - many of which have the potential to lead to the next important breakthrough. Read more about our research program achievements. Read more: Our Research Expands Understanding of Lupus
We Lead Scientific Initiatives to Address Barriers in Lupus Drug Development
Lupus is one of the most mysterious and debilitating diseases known to medicine—difficult to define and hard to understand and manage. It’s a complex disease with many unanswered scientific questions. And while we have learned much about how the immune system functions, we still do not fully understand what causes lupus, or why it develops differently from one person to the next. Through our national research program, the Lupus Foundation of America is leading the fight to break down the barriers that have impeded progress in research on lupus and to stimulate development of new, more tolerable and effective treatments for lupus. Learn more about our scientific initiatives. Read more: Leading Scientific Initiatives to Advance the Science and Medicine of Lupus
We Fund Investigators to Advance Our Understanding of Lupus
The Lupus Foundation of America supports promising areas of research where there is a gap in our understanding or where funding has been inadequate. Each year, the Foundation’s Medical-Scientific Advisory Council sets priorities and develops specific initiatives to receive fundingsupport. We then invite lupus investigators to submit proposals which are evaluated through a vigorous peer-review process using the same guidelines used by the National Institutes of Health. Learn what peer reviewed studies we have funded recently. Read more: Our Peer Review Medical Research Program Addresses Gaps in Lupus Research
We Advocate to Greatly Expand Lupus Research Funding
Our advocacy efforts represent the third pillar of our national strategy to expand research on lupus. The Lupus Foundation of America, with the support of the nation’s largest network of lupus advocates, aggressively works to secure increased government investment in research. Our public policy initiatives educate government officials on the urgent needs of the field and of the important role that lupus research and education programs play in helping to solve the cruel mystery of lupus. Our efforts get results. For every dollar donated to the Foundation, we have been able to generate an additional two dollars in federal funding for important lupus initiatives. Read more: Our Legislative Successes Bring More Funding to Lupus Research
Our Medical-Scientific Advisory Council
Decisions about the research program are guided by the Foundation's Medical-Scientific Advisory Council (MSAC), which is composed of thought leaders in lupus basic, clinical and translational research. Members of the MSAC bring a broad national perspective and annually establish the LFA's research priorities and identify specific initiatives, directing funds toward the most promising areas of research and scientific opportunity. Learn more about this group of top lupus experts. Read more: The Foundation's MSAC Guides Our Pursuit to Advance Reserch on Lupus