Newswise — The American College of Rheumatology Research and Education Foundation has selected 15 skilled researchers from leading institutions to receive an estimated $6 million from the Foundation's Within Our Reach: Finding a Cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis campaign. The awards are the third round of grants funded by the $30 million national multi-year fundraising effort focused specifically on rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that causes pain, stiffness, swelling, and limitation in the motion and function of multiple joints. Though joints are the principal body parts affected by RA, inflammation can develop in other organs as well. An estimated 1.3 million Americans have RA, and the disease typically affects women twice as often as men.
Launched in November 2006, the Within Our Reach program is designed to raise funds for RA research so that, with the guidance of ACR Research and Education Foundation, Within Our Reach will continue to pioneer advances in RA research. In fact, Within Our Reach-funded research is already yielding dramatic results that will improve patient care in years to come.
As the second largest funding source of rheumatology research and training programs in the U.S., the ACR Research and Education Foundation received numerous grant applications from the nation's most outstanding and distinguished researchers. The Within Our Reach campaign has built a reputation for supporting research not done elsewhere and after an extensive peer-review process, the REF is continuing this tradition by selecting the most promising proposals with new and unprecedented approaches to RA research. Grant recipients include:
Innovative Basic Research
Stephanie L. Constant, PhD
George Washington University
Inhibiting Recruitment of Inflammatory Leukocytes in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Leonard Dragone, MD, PhD
University of Colorado, Denver
Understanding how alterations in TCR signaling influence the pathogenesis of RA
I-Cheng Ho, MD, PhD
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Roles of Nuclear PTPN22 in Th Cells-Mediated Autoimmunity
Xiaoyu Hu, MD, PhD
Hospital for Special Surgery
Regulation of Inflammation by Notch Pathway
Erik Peterson, MD
University of Minnesota
The Role of RA-Associated PTPN22 in T Cell Development and Function
David W. H. Riches, PhD
National Jewish Health
Lung Involvement in Rheumatoid Arthritis
William Robinson, MD, PhD
Stanford University
The role of carboxypeptidase B and its substrates in rheumatoid arthritis
Ram Raj Singh, MD
University of California, Los Angeles
Effects of Sex Chromosomes in Conferring Susceptibility to Rheumatoid Arthritis
Jianming Wu, PhD
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Function of FcγRIIC Gene in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Translational Research
Clifton O. Bingham, III, MD
Johns Hopkins University
Periodontal Disease as an Initiation or Propagation Factor for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Kevin D. Deane, MD
University of Colorado, Denver
The Lung as Site of Initial Immune Dysregulation in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Subramaniam Pennathur, MD
University of Michigan
Dysfunctional HDL, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Cardiovascular Disease
Jon T. Giles, MD
Johns Hopkins University
Mechanisms of Myocaridial Dysfunction in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Clinical Practice
Liana Fraenkel, MD, MPH
Yale University
Improving Risk Communication and Decision Making in RA
Francis J. Keefe, PhD
Duke University
Weight Management Intervention in Obese Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients
To learn more about rheumatoid arthritis and the campaign, please visit www.WithinOurReach.info.
About American College of Rheumatology Research and Education Foundation
The ACR Research and Education Foundation was established in 1985 as a 501(c)(3) with a mission to improve patients' lives through support of research and training that advances the prevention, treatment and cure of rheumatic diseases. Since its founding, the REF has grown from a fledgling foundation to the second largest funding source of rheumatology training and research in the U.S. On average, 90 cents of every dollar donated to the REF is used to fund its extensive core awards and grants program. For more information, please visit www.rheumatology.org/REF.
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