LFA and Lupus Canada Announce Catalyst Award to Fund Lupus Research

The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) is partnering with Lupus Canada to fund the Lupus Canada Catalyst Award that supports research projects with potential to advance the field and improve the lives of people living with lupus.

The award will be given to one researcher (a citizen or permanent resident of Canada) studying lupus, at any stage in his or her career. It will provide one year of funding, totaling $35,000 CAD (around $23,350 USD), to high-caliber projects conducted by a scientist working at a Canadian university, teaching hospital, or other accredited institution.

“In order to accelerate lupus research to improve drug development, find better treatments and ultimately discover a cure, we must work together,” Stevan W. Gibson, president and CEO of the LFA, said in a press release. “Collaborating with Lupus Canada allows us to join forces to increase the impact of lupus research in North America and work towards our common goal of improving the lives of people with lupus and ending this disease.”

Tanya Carlton, the volunteer president of Lupus Canada, said: “Lupus Canada is fiercely committed to improving the lives of Canadians living with lupus by funding the best and brightest lupus researchers in Canada. By partnering with the Lupus Foundation of America we will be able to further our mandate and bring greater attention on a global perspective to this debilitating disease.”

In addition to the Lupus Canada Catalyst Award, the LFA is also accepting applications for two other research funding opportunities.

The first is the Gary S. Gilkeson Career Development Award, which is available to medical fellows and clinicians who have recently completed their fellowship in nephrology, rheumatology, or dermatology in the U.S. or Canada. Four awards are available, totaling $70,000 each for up to two years, for fellows interested in lupus research.

The second is the Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Fellowship Program Grant. Six $4,000 awards will be given to students doing research in the laboratory of an established lupus researcher at an institution in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico. Preference is given to medical and graduate students.

Applications for all three awards are being accepted until April 17. Earliest award dates are June 5 for the Catalyst Award and May 15 for the other two funding opportunities. Additional information can be found here.