March 4, 2024 Forget the old saying that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. At the Lupus Research Alliance, March is a time for intense, month-long action: when we salute Women’s History Month as well as advocate together on the Hill for lupus research funding.  Spotlighting a strong and passionate woman, Patti Allen, gives us the opportunity to celebrate both – women’s achievements and an empowered lupus community. One of her greatest accomplishments is having created the PA Fund for Advocacy and Patient Care, a restricted fund within the Lupus Research Alliance. The mi ..read more

New York, NY, February 28. The Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) is pleased to announce the recent recipients of the Lupus Mechanisms and Targets Award (LMTA), whose research will investigate molecular pathways or targets that will lead to new or improved therapies for individuals with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The LMTA provides investigators up to $600,000 over three years. The development of targeted treatments is hindered by an incomplete understanding of lupus and its devastating complications. These seven talented investigators will identify targets for new treatments and test novel ..read more

February 1, 2024 In honor of Black History Month, we bring you the story of eloquent poet performer and lupus advocate Shanelle Gabriel.  With a focus on the theme “African Americans and the Arts,” Black History Month is a perfect time to hear from Shanelle, a woman who uses her poetry and music to elevate the voices of Black people, and especially those affected by lupus. To Shanelle, the month is a time to shine a spotlight on the history of her African American ancestors – a history that was very difficult but “one that is also filled with resilience and accomplishments” – a time to re ..read more

Research Published in Nature Communications and Funded in Part by the Lupus Research Alliance Could Correct a Defect in Lupus NEW YORK, NY.  February 6.  Research featured in Nature Communications highlights a novel approach that re-engineers a person’s own immune cells to suppress the overactive immune system that occurs in lupus nephritis, a serious and potentially life-threatening inflammation of the kidneys. With funding in part from the Lupus Research Alliance (LRA), associate professor Joshua Ooi, Ph.D. and his team at the Centre for Inflammatory Disease, Monash Healt ..read more

Research Will Explore How Ancient Viral Remnants in Our DNA Trigger Lupus NEW YORK, NY – January 30. The Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) is pleased to grant the 2023 Dr. William E. Paul Distinguished Innovator Award (DIA) to Akiko Iwasaki, Ph.D., Sterling Professor of Immunobiology at the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Iwasaki will investigate a possible cause of lupus – remnants of ancient viruses that have been integrated into our genome called endogenous retroviruses. The DIA provides investigators up to $1 million over four years to explore bold, paradigm-shifting ideas that could lead to grou ..read more

January 24, 2024 Dr. Stacie Bell came to LRA’s clinical research affiliate Lupus Therapeutics (LT) one year ago to help fulfill the vision of an entire community united to triumph over a complex and confounding disease.  She joined determined to work with the researchers, clinicians, biopharmaceutical companies, and most importantly the people with lupus and their families to overcome challenges that are still impacting their lives. The challenge has been clear – more individualized treatment options to meet the varied needs of people with lupus and ultimately, to find a cure. The many ob ..read more

January 24, 2024 Dr. Stacie Bell came to LRA’s clinical research affiliate Lupus Therapeutics (LT) one year ago to help fulfill the vision of an entire community united to triumph over a complex and confounding disease.  She joined determined to work with the researchers, clinicians, biopharmaceutical companies, and most importantly the people with lupus and their families to overcome challenges that are still impacting their lives. The challenge has been clear – more individualized treatment options to meet the varied needs of people with lupus and ultimately, to find a cure. The many ob ..read more

January 18, 2024 Brittany Morris was supposed to be a professional athlete.  As a child, she was one of her community’s fastest track stars, a sprinter with big plans to compete as a pro-runner, at least with a scholarship to join a college team. But suddenly at 12 years old she developed confusing symptoms that doctors struggled to diagnose –including joint pain, fevers, extreme fatigue, and inflammation of the tissue around the heart that meant she couldn’t move from the couch to her bed without hyperventilating. After a year of persistent illness amidst repeated misdiagnoses, Brittany ..read more

January 2, 2024 The national lupus community lost a passionate advocate with the passing of former Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX). As many have shared, Congresswoman Johnson is a woman of significant “firsts” – first Black head psychiatric nurse at the Dallas VA hospital, first nurse elected to Congress, first African American and first woman to chair the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. And as a born trailblazer, she used her strong voice to advocate for lupus patients and their families, helping to establish the first Congressional Lupus Caucus in 2015. Congres ..read more

December, 2023 Participating in the LRA’s Lupus Landmark Study was a “no-brainer” says Angelica Perez, a 37-year-old woman living with lupus since she was nine. “I had been taking part in clinical trials for years to potentially improve my own care while helping to advance new treatments overall.” A patient of renowned Los Angeles lupus physician and researcher Dr. Daniel Wallace, Angelica explained that she figured ‘why not’ when he asked her to join the Landmark Study. “The Lupus Landmark Study is an observational study which means they just collect information and follow my care for a few y ..read more