Lupus Research Alliance Grants Lupus Innovation Awards to Eleven Talented Researchers to Accelerate Pace of Discovery in Lupus Research

NEW YORK, April 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) is proud to announce the recipients of this year's Lupus Innovation Award (LIA), addressing many critical themes in lupus research including novel therapeutic strategies, the impact of chronic inflammation, and the identification of biomarkers for improved diagnosis and monitoring. These prestigious grants provide investigators from around the world with up to $150,000 per year for two years to accelerate the pace of discovery in lupus research, empowering scientists to tackle high-risk, high-reward projects that could transform how lupus is understood and treated. Together, these projects highlight the breadth and creativity of approaches needed to solve the complex puzzle of lupus.

"The 2024 Lupus Innovation Awardees are addressing important challenges in the field, from identifying new therapeutic targets to understanding the root causes of the disease," noted Teodora Staeva, PhD, LRA Chief Scientific Officer. "We congratulate our latest grant recipients and look forward to seeing the impact of their innovative work on the future of lupus treatment and care."

Recipients of the 2024 Lupus Innovation Award:

Investigating the Root of Chronic Inflammation in SLE
Franck Barrat, PhD, The Hospital for Special Surgery
Higher than normal levels of inflammatory molecules called type 1 interferons (IFN-I) have been linked to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and anifrolumab (Saphnelo^®), which blocks IFN-I signaling, was approved by the FDA in 2021 for the treatment of SLE. However, many questions remain, including which cells are responsible for producing excess IFN-I. Dr. Barrat will study hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs)— stem cells are at the source of all mature immune cells— from people with SLE to uncover the root of chronic inflammation in SLE and identify new therapeutic approaches.

Developing New Lupus Therapies
Ross Dickins, PhD, Monash University
Not all people with lupus nephritis (LN), or kidney inflammation caused by lupus, respond to current therapies, highlighting the need for new, potent treatment options. Dr. Dickins developed a new type of therapy that suppresses immune cell activity through a unique method. He will test the effectiveness of this type of treatment and compare it to established immunosuppressive therapy in mouse models of lupus nephritis and cells from people with lupus. This could generate critical proof-of-concept preclinical data that will support testing the treatment in clinical trials.

Targeting Inflammatory B Cell Signaling in Lupus
Rebecca Elsner, PhD, University of Pittsburgh
B cells, which are a central component of the immune system and critical in the development of lupus, produce signaling molecules called interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interferon gamma (IFNγ) when they sense certain stimuli. These molecules promote inflammatory T cells and B cells, which go on to mistakenly attack the body's own tissues. Dr. Elsner will examine the effects of these molecules on potentially harmful B cells and test whether blocking both molecules is more therapeutically effective in preventing disease than blocking one or the other.

Understanding Cellular Senescence in Lupus Nephritis
Nisha Limaye, PhD, de Duve Institute
LN is the most common and severe complication of SLE, and remission is reached only in 30-40% of patients, highlighting the need to better understand LN and identify new markers to personalize treatment and predict outcomes. Dr. Limaye will study whether cellular senescence—a process where cells stop dividing but remain alive and metabolically active— affects LN progression and test senescence-targeting drugs in reducing kidney disease severity in a lupus mouse model.

Exploring the Connection Between Photosensitivity and Bone Loss in SLE
Theresa Lu, MD, PhD, The Hospital for Special Surgery
People with SLE are at a higher risk for osteopenia and osteoporosis (conditions that cause low bone density and increased risk of fractures) but the reason is not well understood. Many people with lupus are also photosensitive and their skin can produce inflammatory molecules, including type 1 interferons. Dr. Lu will test whether the skin could be a source of molecules that contribute to bone loss, emphasizing the importance of controlling photosensitivity to protect from long-term fracture risk and improve the overall health of individuals with lupus.

Linking Gut Bacteria and Lupus Flares
Eric Meffre, PhD, Stanford University School of Medicine
Autoantibodies, which are produced by B cells and mistakenly recognize a person's own cells and tissues, are a hallmark feature of SLE. People with SLE have B cells that produce a specific type of antibody called VH4-34, which can bind bacteria in the gut. Dr. Meffre will test whether lupus flares are linked to bacteria escaping the gut, suggesting that SLE flares may be associated with an escape of gut bacteria into the blood, triggering the increase in B cells that produce VH4-34 antibodies. By identifying the bacteria recognized by VH4-34 antibodies, Dr. Meffre's study could lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies targeting these bacteria.

Analyzing Overactive T Cells in Lupus
Carolyn Moderbacher, PhD, La Jolla Institute for Immunology 
T cells are immune cells that can become overactive in lupus, contributing to the disease in multiple ways, including stimulating B cells to produce autoantibodies. Dr. Moderbacher will use cutting-edge techniques to analyze T cells from blood and upper respiratory tract lymphoid tissue of people with lupus, generating a "fingerprint" of these T cells and potentially leading to the identification of new biomarkers or novel therapeutic targets for SLE.

Investigating the Failure to Digest Dead Cells in SLE
Justin Perry, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
In the human body, billions of cells die daily and are cleared rapidly by immune cells, like macrophages, which engulf and digest the dead cells. It has been suggested that the failure to clear dead cells contributes to SLE; however, Dr. Perry will investigate whether it is not the lack of clearance of dead cells, but the failure to appropriately digest these dead cells that leads to SLE, potentially highlighting new therapeutic approaches to restore this process.

Testing Safer Anti-inflammatory Treatments for Lupus
Novalia Pishesha, PhD, Boston Children's Hospital
While corticosteroids and other immunosuppressants are widely prescribed for lupus, their prolonged use can have serious side effects. Dr. Pishesha will test an alternative approach, using nanobodies (a small fragment of a traditional antibody) to deliver an anti-inflammatory drug directly to key immune cells that contribute to inflammation in SLE, potentially leading to safer, more potent treatment options.

Enhancing Treg Function to Treat Lupus
Deepak Rao, MD, PhD, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc. 
T regulatory cells (Tregs), a specialized subset of T cells that suppress autoimmune cells in healthy individuals, fail to suppress the autoimmune response in lupus. Dr. Rao will study Tregs from people with lupus to better understand and identify possible drivers of their dysfunction, which could lead to therapeutic strategies that enhance beneficial Treg functions to treat lupus.

Exploring the Role of Piezo1 in Lupus-Related Complications
Justin Van Beusecum, PhD, Medical University of South Carolina
Lupus can have serious, widespread effects on various parts of the body, including the heart, blood vessels, and the brain. Dr. Van Beusecum will study the role of a specific protein that plays a key role in cardiovascular health and disease, called Piezo1, in lupus, including its impact on the heart and brain. This study could shed light on new mechanisms to target for the treatment of individuals with lupus-associated cardiovascular disease and neuropsychiatric lupus.

About Lupus 
Lupus is a chronic, complex autoimmune disease that affects millions of people worldwide. In lupus, the immune system, meant to defend against infections, produces autoantibodies that mistake the body's own cells as foreign, causing other immune cells to attack organs such as the kidneys, brain, heart, lungs and skin, as well as blood and joints. Ninety percent of people with lupus are women, most often diagnosed between the ages of 15-45. Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian and Pacific Islander people are disproportionately affected by lupus and more likely to experience severe lupus symptoms.

About the Lupus Research Alliance 
The Lupus Research Alliance is the largest non-governmental, non-profit funder of lupus research worldwide. The organization aims to transform treatment by funding the most innovative lupus research, fostering diverse scientific talent, and driving discovery toward better diagnostics, improved treatments and ultimately a cure for lupus. Because the Lupus Research Alliance's Board of Directors funds all administrative and fundraising costs, 100% of all donations goes to support lupus research programs. For more information, please visit the LRA at LupusResearch.org and on social media at: X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. 

SOURCE Lupus Research Alliance