Tag Archives: rheumatoid arthritis research

Closing the Gap in the Nation’s Rheumatologist Shortage

Access to care for arthritis patients isn’t always a guarantee. All too often, seeing a rheumatologist includes traveling out of state because of the severe rheumatologist shortage. We are committed to closing this gap by offering fellowship grants to universities in underserved areas that offer innovative training programs. Continue reading Closing the Gap in the Nation’s Rheumatologist Shortage

rheumatoid arthritis research

ELMO1 – More Than Just Your Friendly, Red Sesame Street Character!

Dr. Sanja Arandjelovic has been studying inflammation and arthritis for a while – specifically, how a gene called ELMO1 is related to arthritis symptoms in mice. In 2010, the Arthritis Foundation awarded Dr. Arandjelovic the Philip S. Maaram Esq. Research (Planned Giving) 3-year grant for a project that studied cell enzymes related to joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in mice.

During this study, Dr. Arandjelovic worked with Dr. Kodi Ravichandran and his research team at the University of Virginia on a related project, examining the process of joint inflammation in RA. Their work may provide clues to why the pain flare-ups associated with RA occur – and lead to new treatments.

Continue reading ELMO1 – More Than Just Your Friendly, Red Sesame Street Character!

2018 Fellow recipient Dr. Sani

Meet Sara Sani: One of Our Newest Foundation-Sponsored Fellows!

Because access to care is not always guaranteed, we’ve been working to help close the gap on the nation’s rheumatologist shortage through our fellowship initiative. In June, we announced five new fellowship awards for 2018. One of those grant awards was offered to the University of California, San Francisco’s (UCSF) adult rheumatology program. This globally recognized program serves more than 6,000 arthritis patients each year. Continue reading Meet Sara Sani: One of Our Newest Foundation-Sponsored Fellows!

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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dr christine beeton

Researchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. Christine Beeton

Venom can kill, but this research proves it could help do the opposite. More specifically, some chemicals found in venom could act as a treatment for disease. These chemicals come from a deadly reptile, but with the help of Dr. Christine Beeton, venom might be able to better the lives of multitudes of people.

Dr. Beeton and her research team are looking at the chemicals found in scorpion venom as a source of potential treatment for autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

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dr c michael stein

Researchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. C. Michael Stein

Every day, scientists work toward the advancement of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)treatment. And Dr. C. Michael Stein has made an exciting new discovery that could help these advancements along and predict how specific treatments will work.

Dr. Stein is looking at small molecules that have the potential to cause big problems.  His 5-year Arthritis Foundation-funded project, “Extracellular small RNAs in rheumatoid arthritis,” is looking at how small molecules of ribonucleic acid (RNA) in the blood may be markers for different diseases.

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arthritis research awardees

Arthritis Patients Help to Select Scientific Projects That Show Promise Towards Finding a Cure for Arthritis

Earlier this year, we awarded funding to six scientists for projects submitted that show remarkable innovations and steps towards finding a cure for arthritis and related diseases. For the first time, we included patient input in selecting the projects that showed the most promise and meant the most to them.

Continue reading Arthritis Patients Help to Select Scientific Projects That Show Promise Towards Finding a Cure for Arthritis

Researchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Salah Ahmed

If you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Dr. Salah Ahmed’s research project may be just your cup of (green) tea! Dr. Ahmed’s 2014 Innovative Research Grant project, “Mechanism of Mcl-1 regulation in RA by EGCG”, looked at the effects of an anti-inflammatory molecule found in green tea (epigallocatechin-3-gallate or EGCG) on a protein (Mcl-1) found in RA joints.

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Dr. Jose Scher RA Research

Researchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. Jose Scher

Dr. Jose U. Scher, a current Arthritis Foundation-funded investigator, has been looking at the relationship between bacteria and inflammatory diseases for more than 10 years. Dr. Scher’s current Arthritis Foundation funded project, “Pan-Microbiome in At-Risk Subjects and New-Onset Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA),” looks at the relationship of bacteria (or “microbiome” in the mouth, lungs, and intestines) and the development of RA.
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Dr. Delesha Carpenter arthritis research

Researchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. Delesha Carpenter

Many of us go to multiple doctors’ appointments throughout the year. Between those appointments, work, family life and other things it can be hard to process and remember the information your doctor tells you. One of our funded researchers, Dr. Delesha Carpenter is looking at how well Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients recall information about newly prescribed DMARDs – disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. Her 3-year Arthritis Foundation funded research project, called “Understanding how RA patients process conflicting information about DMARDs”, was recently presented at the 2016 ACR Annual Meeting & Conference in November.
Continue reading Researchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. Delesha Carpenter