Message from the Chairman

MESSAGE FROM ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON IV

on 10 years’ progress after founding the ALR….

Like many of you, until a few years ago, I had heard of lupus, but didn’t know what it was. Then a member of my family was diagnosed with lupus.

Our family looked around to find what was being done to cure this destructive disease. To our dismay, we found very little medical research being conducted. We also learned that the treatments for lupus have serious side effects and can be toxic. Something needed to be done.

The Alliance for Lupus Research (ALR) was founded in 1999 to fulfill this need. Ten years later, we are proud to report that our work is beginning to bear fruit.

We believe the ALR’s unique approach to research will speed the process of finding better treatments, and ultimately, a cure. The ALR dedicates large amounts of funding for high-risk, high-reward projects that promise progress in the near term—because no one living with lupus should wait for relief. In just a decade, this approach has yielded very promising results: several potential new treatments for lupus are now in the clinical pipeline, and the ALR-funded International SLE Genetics Consortium has identified several of the genes responsible for lupus.  

To continue our momentum, we need your help. There are many ways to support the ALR, and we are proud that many thousands of people across the country have joined our quest for a cure by donating their time, voices, or dollars.

ALR Walk Web Site
ALR Advocacy Web Site
Donate! Cure Lupus Now!

We still have a long road ahead of us, but we are determined to end the devastation of lupus in our lifetime.

Sincerely,

Robert Wood Johnson IV