Research

Of the many things that the Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. (LFA) does, research on finding a treatment and a cure are one of the foremost things on people’s minds.  Here are some of the summaries of the great things going on at LFA.
• The LFA has 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.  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 with funds provided by the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation.  The LFA has now supported approximately 400 researchers at nearly 100 academic and medical institutions around the U.S.

• Jill Buyon, MD, Professor of Medicine and Vice Chair, Department of Rheumatology at the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, has been selected by her peers to receive the prestigious Evelyn V. Hess Research Award given annually by the LFA.  The award recognizes a lifetime of achievement in lupus research.

• The Department of Defense (DOD) Congressionally Directed Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) has awarded $5 million in new funding to support important research studies on lupus and lupus biomarkers.  The PRMRP has funded three new grants in 2007 from funds authorized by Congress last year.  These projects are in addition to the two projects previously awarded from FY 2005 funds.

• A top priority of the LFA is obtaining approval of new, safe, and effective therapies for lupus.  In 2008, the LFA continues its financial support of the Federal Biomarkers Working Group, a collaborative group dedicated to the identification and validation of biomarkers for lupus disease activity.  Validated lupus biomarkers will speed clinical studies of potential new lupus therapies and will assist health professionals in monitoring disease activity among patients.