NEW
YORK, Sept. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lupus
Research Alliance (LRA) is pleased to announce the recipients of
the 2024 Career Development and Postdoctoral Awards to Promote
Diversity in Lupus Research. Launched in 2021, the Diversity in
Lupus Research (DLR) Awards aim to foster the development and
productivity of exceptional early-career and postdoctoral
scientists from underrepresented minority groups in science.
Lupus is a debilitating autoimmune disease that
disproportionately affects Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and
Asian/Pacific Islander people. The LRA inaugurated the DLR Awards
three years ago to foster a diverse scientific community that
mirrors the populations most impacted by lupus.
"We are delighted to recognize the talented recipients of the
2024 LRA Diversity in Lupus Research Awards," said Teodora Staeva,
Ph.D., LRA Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer. "By
supporting these outstanding individuals, we are not only
broadening the diversity of our scientific community, but also
paving the way for innovative approaches to drive advancements in
lupus research."
This year, three individuals will be awarded the DLR Career
Development Award, which provides each investigator up to
$600,000 over four years to help
establish a competitive research program. The recipients are:
- Carlos Castrillon, Ph.D., Emory
University
- Paul Hoover, M.D., Ph.D., Brigham and Women's
Hospital
- Renita Horton, Ph.D.,
University of Houston
Additionally, two postdoctoral fellows will receive the DLR
Postdoctoral Award, which provides each fellow up to $170,000 over two years to support their
transition to independent research roles. The recipients are:
- Rodrigo Cervantes-Díaz, Ph.D., Boston Children's Hospital
- Jonathan Lagos Orellana, M.D.,
Ph.D., Seattle Children's Hospital
What Award Recipients Aim to Discover
Career Development Award to Promote Diversity in Lupus
Research:
Carlos Castrillon, Ph.D.,
Emory University
B cells are immune cells that produce antibodies to identify and
mark for destruction foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses.
B cells sense these invaders using their surface receptors, which
then instruct B cells to activate. This process is kept in check by
signaling inhibitors, which act like brakes to prevent B cells from
overreacting. In lupus, these brakes are often less effective, and
B cells are overly responsive. Dr. Castrillon aims to understand
how these signaling inhibitors are controlled in lupus and explore
whether restoring their effectiveness can help normalize B cell
activity.
Paul Hoover, M.D., Ph.D.,
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Lupus nephritis is a severe kidney disease affecting many people
with lupus and often leads to kidney failure. Dr. Hoover helped
discover a type of immune cell in the kidneys of people with lupus
nephritis and mouse models called injury-associated monocytes,
which are linked to severe disease. He will use cutting-edge
technology to study how systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) risk
genes impact these cells and identify new therapies targeting
them.
Renita Horton, Ph.D.,
University of Houston
Expectant mothers with certain lupus-related autoantibodies
(antibodies that mistakenly target the body's own cells and
tissues) are at a higher risk of having babies with congenital
heart block, a serious heart condition. Dr. Horton developed a
novel model called the congenital cardiac fibrosis chip to identify
key factors that contribute to cardiac fibrosis (the formation of
scar tissue) and heart disease in newborns. Her research aims to
find biomarkers and therapeutic targets in order to treat or
prevent fibrosis associated with neonatal (newborn) lupus.
Postdoctoral Award to Promote Diversity in Lupus
Research:
Rodrigo Cervantes-Díaz, Ph.D., Boston Children's
Hospital
B cells, which play a key role in the development of lupus, are
activated (turned on) by certain innate signals. Dr. Cervantes-Díaz
will study how B cells respond to these signals in healthy people
and those with lupus, tracking changes over time to understand how
they go off course. He will also examine the impact of genetic
variants (mutations) linked to lupus on B cell behavior so that
targeted treatments can be developed.
Jonathan Lagos Orellana, M.D.,
Ph.D., Seattle Children's Hospital
The role of B cells extends beyond antibody production. B cells
also present small pieces of pathogens (foreign invaders) to other
immune cells (in a process called antigen presentation), triggering
an immune response. Antigen presentation may go awry in lupus. Dr.
Lagos Orellana will explore how changes in antigen processing are
related to the activation of self-reactive B cells (B cells that
produce autoantibodies) in lupus in order to identify new
therapeutic targets.
About Lupus
Lupus is a chronic, complex autoimmune disease that affects
millions of people worldwide. Ninety percent of people with lupus
are women, often striking during the childbearing years of 15-45.
Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and Asian/Pacific Islander people are
disproportionately affected by lupus and are more likely to
experience severe lupus symptoms. In lupus, the immune system,
meant to defend against infections, produces antibodies that
mistakenly recognize the body's own cells as foreign, prompting
other immune cells to attack and potentially damage organs such as
the kidneys, brain, heart, lungs, blood, skin, and
joints.
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.
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SOURCE Lupus Research Alliance