Tag Archives: arthritis research

Researchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. Xiaojuan Li

Osteoarthritis (OA) affects over 30 million people and is the most common cause of disability in adults in the U.S. The Arthritis Foundation has set the goal of advancing OA treatments as one of its highest priorities, making it one of the Foundation’s four scientific initiatives. To do this, we have created the OA Center of Excellence (COE), where researchers from around the county can join the Clinical Trial Network to work together to accelerate the development of new OA therapies.

The OA COE is currently funding three Clinical Trial Network demonstration studies that may lead to better diagnosis and earlier treatments. Researchers from six different institutions will collaborate in various aspects of these cutting-edge studies. We will look at each of these studies in a series of blogs.

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carra grants 2018

CARRA – Arthritis Foundation Grant Awardees Announced

The Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) recently announced award recipients for the CARRA-Arthritis Foundation 2018 large and small grant awards. Grants are awarded to investigators with projects that positively impact the pediatric rheumatology scientific community. Funded by the Arthritis Foundation, a total of almost $240,000 was awarded for this year’s grants. Alpha Omicron Pi Foundation (AOII), a funding partner, funded three of the grants noted below.

“These grants are important because of the rarity of these patients, “explained Guy Eakin, PhD, senior vice president of Scientific Strategy. “Research on rare conditions is difficult, and required broad networks like the partnership between the Arthritis Foundation and CARRA to launch great ideas, then turn them into active research programs. We’re very proud to work in partnership with CARRA to see these and other major scientific initiatives moving forward.”

Of the 9 grants awarded, 5 are related to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) studies, 3 are related to juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) studies, and 1 looks at tracking localized disease with mobile apps.

LARGE GRANT AWARDEES

Two applications were selected to receive $50,000 awards:

  • Kiana Johnson, East Tennessee State University: Healthcare Transition Readiness and Health Self-management among youth with Juvenile Systemic Lupus (funded by AOII)
  • Kathleen O’Neil, Indiana University School of Medicine: The Relationship Between Changes in Adipokine Levels and Disease Activity in Pubertal Children with SLE

SMALL GRANTS

Seven new small grants of up to $25k each were awarded. Congratulations to:

  • Fatima Barbar-Smiley, Nationwide Children’s Hospital: Immunogenicity of pneumococcal vaccination and impact on nasopharyngeal pneumococcus colonization in patients with childhood onset systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Ingrid Goh, The Hospital for Sick Children: Patient and Caregiver Engagement in Research (PACER): Approaching for research on date of rheumatic diagnosis—a pilot project (funded by AOII)
  • Joyce Hui-Yuen, Cohen Children’s Medical Center: Feasibility of Conducting Epigenetic Analysis in Pediatric Lupus B Cells
  • Suzanne Li, Hackensack University Medical Center: Tracking Disease Activity in Juvenile Localized Scleroderma with a Mobile App (funded by AOII)
  • Melissa Oliver, Indiana University, Riley Hospital for Children: Clinical disease manifestations associated with anti-TNF non-response in Juvenile Spondyloarthropathy
  • Victoria Werth, The University of Pennsylvania: Evaluation of the reliability and validity of the Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity Index (CLASI) in pediatrics
  • Leandra Woolnough, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children: Longitudinal Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Assessment in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

 CARRA will continue with the large grants program in 2019. The deadline for the next round of large grants will be March 1, 2019. Visit the CARRA website for details on other funding opportunities.

dr caroline jefferies

Researchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. Caroline Jefferies

Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease and affects a wide part of the body, including the joints, kidneys, skin, blood, brain and other organs. One of our six Delivering on Discovery projects focuses on Lupus and lung disease. “Lupus is a complex disease. It affects many organs. The number of lupus patients with lung inflammation is probably underestimated. Yet it negatively impacts the quality of life in these patients,” explained Dr. Caroline Jefferies. “And while we have a basic understanding about how lupus affects various organs, we need to better understand how it affects the lungs to better manage and treat it.”

Dr. Jefferies is focusing on the lungs with her 3-year Arthritis Foundation-funded project, “Inflammatory neutrophils in lupus lung disease –  novel cellular target”.

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spotlight on dr dougherty

Researchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. Edward Doherty

Why is my immune system attacking my joints? What is the cause? If you have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), this is something you have probably wondered at some point. It’s something Dr. Edward Doherty has wondered as well, and is currently studying. Dr. Doherty and his co-investigator, Dr. Pathricia Tilstam are studying key cells that drive inflammation in their 2-year Arthritis Foundation-funded project, “MIF/CD74 signaling as a new candidate for immunotherapy of rheumatoid arthritis”. With autoimmune disorders like RA, something triggers the immune system to malfunction and attack healthy cells, causing inflammation and disease. Dr. Doherty and Dr. Tilstam are looking for some of the triggers to help develop more effective treatments to stop progression and joint destruction.

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Summary & Results from Osteoarthritis Patient-Focused Drug Development Meeting

Our patients have spoken: “We want earlier diagnoses to stop disease progression and better biomarkers for earlier diagnosis”

On March 8th, 2017, the Arthritis Foundation, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), osteoarthritis (OA) patients, drug developers, health care providers and academic researchers came together to discuss the serious burden of OA disease, particularly the most significant OA-related symptoms, the impact of those symptoms, currently available treatments and ideal treatments.

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jordan orange

Researchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. Jordan Orange

Chances are you haven’t heard of COPA syndrome. That’s because it wasn’t identified as a form of arthritis until 2015. So, what is COPA syndrome? It is a rare, inherited autoimmune disease that is caused by mutation of the COPA gene. It usually appears in early childhood. Patients show symptoms of severe lung disease and arthritis.

Dr. Jordan Orange was one member of a large research team that first identified COPA syndrome in 2015. The team’s published work in Nature Genetics won the Arthritis Foundation’s 2015 Howley Award prize for significantly advancing the understanding of an arthritis-related disease.

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Researchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. Nora Singer

As an organization, we have always supported and encouraged the active involvement of patients in their own care. Patient perspectives matter greatly when it comes to decisions being made about health care. Their voices are vital in the clinical research process as new medications are being developed and tested.

Patient perspectives play a large role in Dr. Nora Singer’s 3-year Arthritis Foundation-funded project – “Cell-based therapy in systemic onset JIA (sJIA) refractory to conventional “c” and biological “b” DMARDs”. Her project uses stem cells derived from adult cells that are designed to “reset” the immune system. The study will compare the safety and effectiveness of the stem cell treatment to conventional and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Currently, stem cell therapy is experimental in the U.S. and regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but is less regulated in other countries.

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dr richard loeser jr - arthritis research

Researchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. Richard F. Loeser, Jr

“You are what you eat” is a phrase we often hear. But how true is it? Dr. Richard F. Loeser, Jr. and his research team are looking at the role of diet in their Arthritis Foundation-funded project “The Role of the Microbiome in Metabolic Osteoarthritis (OA)”.

Different factors play into why a person develops OA, including aging, injury, and being overweight. Diet plays an important role. What you eat can help influence what bacteria (or microbiota) live in your digestive track (gut). This, in turn, can influence what chemicals are released into your body. A healthy gut generally has a more diverse collection of helpful microbiota, while a microbial imbalance can lead to disease.

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delivering on discovery

Researchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. Hongsik Cho

Big things come in small packages, and Dr. Hongsik Cho is very familiar with this phenomenon. When we first introduced Dr. Cho in August 2016, he was beginning work on his 2-year Arthritis Foundation-funded project, “A Novel Method of Detecting and Treating Early PTOA Using Smart Nanosome”.  He and his team are studying two things: a new drug and a new drug delivery system.  The drug, called TPCA-1, works to prevent inflammation caused by post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA).  The drug delivery system uses small packets called nanosomes that contain TPCA-1 and a fluorescent dye that illuminates the nanosomes’ path once injected into mice.

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Researchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. James Jarvis

“Why did my child get arthritis?” This parent-driven question is at the heart of Dr. Jim Jarvis’s juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) Arthritis Foundation-funded project, “Interplay between genetics and epigenetics in polyarticular JIA”.

“This is less about an illness driven by inherited genes and more about how the environment affects gene expression,” explained Dr. Jarvis. “It’s been shown that only about 30 percent of the risk for developing JIA can be attributed to gene variations.”

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