Missouri Chapter

Research

A robust medical research effort is essential to find the causes of lupus, develop more effective treatments, and eventually cure the disease.

Research

For more than 30 years, the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) and its network of chapters have been committed to accelerating the pace of medical discovery in lupus with the clear goal of making clinical research more feasible. Through generous donations, the LFA's own national research program, Bringing Down the Barriers -- which is dedicated to removing obstacles that have obstructed basic biomedical, clinical, epidemiological, behavioral, and translational research for decades -- has grown exponentially, more than 200% in the past two years alone.

Under the guidance of its multidisciplinary Medical-Scientific Advisory Council, the LFA has funded projects that have the potential to accelerate clinical trials, enhance the development of safe, effective, and non-toxic treatment, and expedite the discovery of a cure. The Lupus Foundation of America's Center for Clinical Trials Education is designed to provide education and resources regarding lupus clinical trials.

To date, the LFA has funded more than 350 grants to young investigators at more than 80 major academic institutions throughout the US -- an investment which has yielded many of the world’s leading lupus researchers.

The LFA’s highly regarded program, which includes a strenuous peer–review, is focused on answering the tough questions and leading the way in such areas as pediatric and male lupus, translational and adult stem cell transplantation, cardiovascular disease, novel pilot approaches and the identification and validation of lupus biomarkers.

We at the LFA Chapter supported by the LFA National Office in Washington, D.C. are committed to:

  • Greatly expand the medical research effort to bring lupus under control and find a cure.
  • Implement national strategies to promote increased government funding of lupus research by the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies.
  • Support LFA's Five-Year Research Support Program.
  • Encourage private efforts by pharmaceutical and biotech companies to develop safer and more effective therapies for lupus.

It was 50 years ago that a drug specifically to treat lupus was approved.  The LFA's new campaign, Zero in 50™ was launched to raise public awareness, and call attention to the urgent need for safer, more tolerable, and effective lupus treatments.

Because of your generous contributions, LFA continues to lead the fight for a cure. For more information on donating to the research program, sponsoring a grant or making a major gift, please contact Dawn Winkler at dwinkler@lupusmo.org.