The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) congratulates Trine Jorgensen, Ph.D., Assistant Staff, Department of Immunology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation and I-Cheng Ho, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Physician, Brigham and Women's Hospital, for being selected to receive research grants totaling $2.3 million from the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD) Congressionally Directed Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP).
The DoD awarded Dr. I-Cheng Ho $1.2 million to fund a study that will examine a protein called Ets1 to determine if it can counteract the disease process of lupus. It is believed that the function of Ets1 may be impaired in people with lupus, and this research may help to better understand the cause of lupus.
Dr. Trine Jorgensen was awarded $1.1 million to further study why females are disproportionately affected by lupus. Nine out of ten people with lupus are female-a disparity that remains unexplained. Dr. Jorgensen's studies will explore the role of a population of immunosuppressive cells in the development of lupus, and analyze related mechanisms of disease suppression as it may occur in males.
Through its advocacy initiatives that began in 2003, the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) pioneered efforts to have lupus included as a disease area eligible for research funding through the PRMRP. The LFA has continued to demonstrate to Congress the relevance of lupus research to military personnel and their dependents. These efforts have opened an additional source of much-needed funds to support research on lupus. To date, $11.8 million has been awarded to lupus researchers through the PRMRP.
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