Research areas include management of the disease in children and teens, improving health outcomes, underlying genetic causes of male lupus, facilitating greater accuracy in the diagnosis of lupus
The Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. (LFA) announced new funding for research grants to address issues of critical importance for people with lupus, including the management of the disease in children and teens, improving health outcomes, the underlying genetic causes of male lupus, facilitating greater accuracy in the diagnosis of lupus, and the development of new, safe, and effective treatments. In addition, the LFA awarded five student fellowships to foster an interest in lupus research, and renewed funding for the Lupus Biomarkers Clinical Consortium, a collaborative initiative that seeks to identify biomarkers that hold promise to facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of lupus.
The LFA National Research Program, Bringing Down the Barriers, is unique because it not only funds basic and clinical research, but also focuses on areas that have been inadequately funded by the federal government, industry, or other organizations. The LFA is the only national organization to focus on pediatric research through its Michael Jon Barlin Pediatric Research Program, which was established with the generous support of the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation in memory of Michael Jon Barlin, who passed away in 2006 at the age of 24 following a long battle with lupus. Other areas of study currently or previously supported by the LFA’s National Research Program include epidemiology, cardiovascular disease, novel pilot approaches, and adult stem cell transplantation.
“More than ever before, this year’s research studies funded through LFA’s National Research Program hold the potential to have an immediate and direct impact on patients and their quality of life,” said Sandra C. Raymond, LFA President and CEO. “For example, the LFA is funding the development of a tool that seeks to ultimately improve the self-management skills of children with lupus, which will aid in their transition to adults, and lead to overall better management of the disease.”
Read the list of the 2010 LFA National Research Program Awards.