7million $ of grant money awarded

[Guest guest]

The Lupus Site

Site Updates Lupus News Contact

Message Boards

Chat Room

Lupus store

The Lupus Book(UK customers)

powered by FreeFind

Lupus Research Institute Reports Unprecedented Success in First Round of Grants

NEW YORK, Jan. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Eight of 11 scientists funded by theLupus Research Institute (LRI) from 2001-2003 have been awarded more than $7million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other governmentaloffices to continue their novel research projects in lupus."The primary measure of our success is the number of scientists whodevelop their hypotheses at the LRI and then go on to NIH grants to expandtheir work," said Margaret Dowd, president of the LRI. "The fact that 73percent of our investigators successfully secured additional funding is atestament to our solid research strategy. The LRI emphasizes the need toremain open to radical new ideas in research and encourage high-risk, high-impact studies that stimulate new approaches to understanding, treating, andultimately preventing lupus."The successful research hypotheses were identified by a distinguished peerreview panel, co-chaired by Lipsky, MD, scientific director of theNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases at NIH,and Ann Marshak-Rothstein, PhD, professor of microbiology, Boston UniversitySchool of Medicine."In only three years, this talented group of researchers has been able toshed light on many of the genetic links to lupus, pinpoint the role of B-cellsand certain types of white blood cells in the disease process, and provide abetter understanding of how lupus attacks the brain, kidney and skin," saidDr. Lipsky. "This type of novel research is ultimately what will move thisfield forward."

Researchers from Six Medical CentersThe LRI scientists who have received expanded government funding are:

* L. Cohen, MD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia* K. Crow, MD, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York* Betty Diamond, MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York* Kotzin, MD, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver* Chandra Mohan, MD, PhD, University of Texas Southwestern MedicalCenter, Dallas* Chaim Putterman, MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York* Barbara J. Vilen, PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill* Werth, MD, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine,Philadelphia

"This novel work would not have been funded without the unique grantingmechanisms and model peer review process of the LRI," said Dowd.

Unraveling the Mysteries of LupusLupus is a chronic, systemic autoimmune disease that may attack virtuallyany organ or bodily system at any time. The body's immune system, whichnormally functions to protect against foreign invaders, becomes hyperactive,forming antibodies that attack healthy tissues and organs including thekidneys, lungs, heart, brain, blood, skin and joints. Lupus affects anestimated 1.5 million Americans and is a leading cause of kidney disease,stroke and cardiovascular disease in young women. It is chronic, yetunpredictable, with serious flares and remissions over decades. Whileresearchers have made significant progress in recent years in understandingthe genetics of lupus and how sex hormones may be involved, scientists attestthat lupus remains a disease that is still not well understood.

The Lupus Research Institute (LRI) maintains a broad research agenda andremains open to promising new scientific hypotheses and methodologies.Through its Novel Research Program, the LRI supports investigators nationwidein their pursuit of new approaches to improve treatment, prevent and curelupus. The LRI currently is reviewing grant applications with particularattention to the development of early biomarkers (predictors) to assessdisease activity in lupus and possible response to therapy. Currently, the LRIhas awarded more than $7 million in grants, supporting 35 scientists atleading medical institutions around the country. Specific information onindividual research projects can be obtained online athttp://www.lupusresearchinstitute.org.

Recommend this site to your friends

Visit our Message Boards

< Previous - Refresh - Next >

Read our privacy policy - Advertise - Sitemap © Copyright The Lupus Site 1997-2004None of my material can be used on any other site, or in any other form, without prior permission from the author. However feel free to link to my site from yours. The Lupus Site is affiliated with Lupus UK through the Lancashire & Cheshire Regional Group.The information on this page is only for general advice. No responsibility can be taken for anything that happens as a result of following or ignoring advice on this site.