In 2004, the Lupus Research Institute (LRI) continued its commitment to supporting innovative biomedical and clinical research that seeks to improve treatment, prevent, and cure lupus. Following a rigorous peer review process, the LRI awarded $3 million to 13 scientists. Many of the grants have the potential to characterize biomarkers or predictors to identify patients with accelerating disease activity, and others seek to identify new therapies.

Click on the link to learn more about the rationale behind each project, the research plan, and what the findings will mean for the estimated 1-1.5 million Americans who suffer from lupus.

Novel Research Grant Recipients:


• Robert Caricchio, MD, University of Pennsylvania, PA
  Apoptotic Nucleosomal DNA and Its Relevance in S.L.E.
• Robert Clancy, PhD, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY
  Circulating Endothelial Cells, a Biomarker to Predict Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Patients with S.L.E.
• Mary Crow, MD, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY
  Biomarkers of Disease Flare in S.L.E.
• Anne Davidson, MD, Columbia University, New York, NY
  Biomarkers for Renal Remission in S.L.E.
• Umesh Deshmukh, PhD University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
  Endothelial Cell Death in Females with S.L.E.; Investigation into Role of Antibodies and T cells in Lupus Nephritis
• Bevra Hahn, MD, University of California at Los Angeles, CA
  Aberrant HDL as Biomarker for Heart Disease in S.L.E.
• V. Michael Holers, MD, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO
  Complement Receptor 2 as a DNA Receptor
• Elahna Paul, MD, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
  Reaction of Kidney Cells to Autoimmune Attack in Lupus Nephritis
• David Pisetsky, MD, PhD, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
  The Role of HMGB1 in the Pathogenesis of S.L.E.
• Luminita Pricop, MD, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY
  Genetic Mutation of Fc Receptor as Stimulant to Inflammation in S.L.E.
• Chander Raman, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL
  CD5: A Novel Target for Treatment of S.L.E.
• Robert A. S. Roubey, MD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC
  Biomarkers of Blood Clotting in S.L.E. and APS
• Robert Winchester, MD, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY
  Identification of biomarkers in circulating blood cells that identify events in the molecular pathogenesis of S.L.E. nephritis