Proliferative Lupus Nephritis
Inflammation of the kidneys caused by an autoimmune disease called systemic lupus erythematosus. The condition can cause hematuria and proteinuria, and it may progress to end-stage renal disease. The most severe form of lupus nephritis, called diffuse proliferative nephritis, can cause scars to form in the kidneys. Scars are permanent, and kidney function often declines […]
Dr. William E. Paul Distinguished Innovator Award (DIA)
The Dr. William E. Paul Distinguished Innovator Award ($1M over 4 years) provides outstanding scientists with substantial support to conduct novel research into the fundamental causes of systemic lupus erythematosus. If you are a researcher and would like to learn more about our funded research please click here.
LRA-Funded Researchers Presented Cutting Edge Methods and Discoveries at the Annual Rheumatology Meeting
November, 2022 The Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) aims to support the best science to prevent, treat and cure lupus. This year during the annual American College of Rheumatology conference, ACR Convergence 2022, which took place from November 10 – 14 in Philadelphia, PA, more than 30 LRA-funded studies were presented by researchers to thousands of […]
Scientific Advisory Board
3 Questions with Dr. Ashira Blazer
March 8, 2023 As part of our researcher interview series, we are featuring 3 Questions with Ashira Blazer, MD, at Hospital for Special Surgery — one of our Diversity in Lupus Research Award recipients. Below Dr. Blazer explains why she focused her career on lupus, and explains how the project LRA is funding will help […]
LRA Researchers Reveal New Drug Targets at Leading Immunology Conference
May 22, 2019 Data presented by several Lupus Research Alliance-funded scientists at the recent American Association of Immunologists Annual Meeting suggests many avenues for new lupus treatments. Some scientists presented data posing new targets for drug development, while others have discovered cells that suppress the immune response and could be harnessed as treatments. Reining in […]
New LRA-Supported Study Discovers STAT1, a Highly Specific Target for Potential New Therapy
April 23, 2020 A new study supported by the Lupus Research Alliance discovered a way that harmful immune responses in lupus and lupus nephritis could be stopped while protective immune responses, such as those to infection, are preserved. The findings were published in the prestigious Journal of Immunology and add evidence to the value of […]
LRA-Funded Scientists Command Attention at 2019 ACR/ARP
November 14, 2019 The Lupus Research Alliance was proud of the unprecedented number of the studies supported by the Alliance chosen for presentation at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting, the world’s largest rheumatology conference. A total of 19 studies were shared in oral presentations to large audiences, while 13 were presented as posters, which allow […]
Promising Results from AMP
October 30, 2018 The Lupus Research Alliance is one of the sponsors of the Accelerating Medicines Partnership in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus (AMP RA/Lupus), a public-private partnership between the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and several pharmaceutical companies and nonprofit organizations. AMP aims to speed the development of new therapies, […]
New LRA-Supported Study Provides Clue to Potential New Treatment Target
February 27, 2020 A new study supported by the Lupus Research Alliance discovered that molecules called type II interferons can trigger the immune system to over-produce the B cells that cause lupus inflammation. Type I interferons have already been shown to be very important in lupus which has led to exciting new drugs like anifrolumab […]
Nephritis
Lupus nephritis is kidney inflammation caused by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus). SLE is an autoimmune disease—a disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the body’s own cells and organs. Up to 60 percent of people with SLE are diagnosed with lupus nephritis, which can lead to significant illness and even death. Source: […]
LRA-Funded Study Finds Lazy Enzyme that Triggers Autoimmunity
April 14, 2021 Dr. Boris Reizis and his team, working with a group of clinical rheumatologists led by Dr. Jill Buyon, have made a connection between an enzyme that prevents people’s immune systems from reacting to their own DNA and lupus activity. In a paper just published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine they report […]