How the LFA Supported Lupus Research in 2007-2008

LFA Provided Another $2 Million to Support Lupus Research in 2007-2008

In 2007, the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) awarded an additional $2 million in research grants and fellowships to stimulate important new areas of research to find the causes of and cure for lupus, a disabling and life threatening disease that affects approximately one in 200 Americans.

To continue toward its goal of bringing down the barriers that have obstructed lupus research in the past, the LFA has launched a series of bold new research initiatives in the areas of mid-to-late stage translational research, pediatric/adolescent lupus, and lupus in males. Funds for these initiatives were generously granted to the LFA through the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation in memory of Michael Jon Barlin, who in 2006, at the age of 24, passed away after a long battle with lupus.

Additionally, the LFA National Research Program is supporting studies in adult-stem cell transplantation as a treatment for lupus in people with severe manifestations of the disease, research related to cardiovascular disease in women and African Americans with lupus, novel pilot projects which apply new and innovative approaches to advance lupus research, and initiatives to identify and validate lupus biomarkers. The LFA also awarded five student summer fellowships to foster an interest in the field of lupus research.

Since its inception, the LFA and its chapters have awarded $18 million to support approximately 400 grants to research scientists at nearly 100 leading academic and medical institutions throughout the nation. LFA seed grants have led to tens of millions of dollars from other institutions, including the federal government, to allow these researchers to continue their work. In addition to direct support – made possible through donations from individuals, corporations, foundations, and a nationwide network of LFA chapters and support groups – the LFA advocates to greatly expand funds for lupus research through grants from state and federal governments, and through private investment from biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Federal funding initiated by the FDA, Department of Defense, for lupus biomarkers research, and the CDC, for the National Lupus Patient Registry, brings the total provided through LFA direct efforts to nearly $30 million.

Current LFA Funded Initiatives

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