Lupus Foundation of America Solicits Applications for Research Grants

The Lupus Foundation of America is accepting funding applications from students and researchers working in lupus research.

“Lupus is a complex disease that presents challenges that can only be overcome by a robust public and private medical research effort,” Sandra C. Raymond, the foundation’s president and CEO, said in a news release. “These grants are essential for generating faster progress through innovative approaches.”

Those interested may apply for the foundation’s Career Development Award and its Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program.

The Career Development Award aims to facilitate the professional development of second- or third-year U.S. and Canadian rheumatology, nephrology and dermatology fellows. The award is geared toward applicants who want to conduct lupus research towards a career as an independent clinician-scientist at an academic, medical or research institution, with a research program having considerable focus on the investigation of basic, clinical, translational, behavioral or epidemiological lupus research.

Given the foundation’s mission towards advancing pediatric research, one of the two Career Development Awards will go to an applicant whose research proposal focuses on pediatric lupus.

The Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program seeks to cultivate an interest in lupus research among young researchers by funding projects to be conducted under the supervision of an established lupus investigator. Students in the fields of basic, clinical, translational, epidemiological or behavioral research relevant to lupus, can apply for one of six such awards. One will be specifically granted to an under-represented minority student, while a second award will be granted to a student whose work has a direct impact in rural areas.

Applicants must submit their proposals no later than 5 p.m. EST on April 8. More information can be found at this link.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which an unknown trigger causes a person’s own immune system to attack tissues, resulting in damage and widespread inflammation. There is no known cause or cure for lupus, though treatments are available. At least 322,000 Americans have definite or probable lupus, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Recent independent surveys, however, suggest the actual number may be as high as 1.5 million.