The Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) has officially announced the recipients of this year’s Lupus Innovation Award (LIA), an award which acknowledges industry-wide efforts to address several critical themes in lupus research, including novel therapeutic strategies, the impact of chronic inflammation, and the identification of biomarkers for improved diagnosis and monitoring.
According to certain reports, the stated recognition will fetch investigators an amount of up to $150,000 per year for two years to accelerate discovery in lupus research, thus encouraging them to tackle high-risk, high-reward projects that could transform how lupus is understood and treated.
Talk about the recipients who will be conferred with LRA’s grant this year, we begin from Franck Barrat from The Hospital for Special Surgery who will investigate the root cause of chronic inflammation in SLE.
You see, higher than normal levels of inflammatory molecules called type 1 interferons (IFN-I) have been linked to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Now, anifrolumab (Saphnelo®), which blocks IFN-I signaling, has been approved by the FDA in 2021 for the treatment of SLE, but many questions remain, including which cells are responsible for producing excess IFN-I.
Hence, Dr. Barrat will study hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) among people with SLE to uncover the root of chronic inflammation in SLE and identify new therapeutic approaches.
The next recipient in line is Ross Dickins, PhD, Monash University, who will deploy the grant to develop new Lupus therapies. Not all people with lupus nephritis (LN), or kidney inflammation caused by lupus, respond to current therapies. To fill this gap, Dr. Dickins has developed a new type of therapy which suppresses immune cell activity through a unique method.
Moving on, he will test the effectiveness of this treatment before comparing it to established immunosuppressive therapy in mouse models of lupus nephritis and cells from people with lupus. The intention is to possibly generate critical proof-of-concept preclinical data.
Moving on, Rebecca Elsner, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, emerged as another recipient of LRA’s award. She secured the same for targeting inflammatory B cell signaling in Lupus.
In case you weren’t aware, B cells, which are a central component of the immune system and critical in the development of lupus, are known for producing signaling molecules called interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interferon gamma (IFNγ) when they sense certain stimuli. These molecules, on their part, promote inflammatory T cells and B cells that eventually attack the body’s own tissues.
Thanks to the new grant, Dr. Elsner will be able to examine the effects of these molecules on potentially harmful B cells and test whether blocking both molecules is more therapeutically effective in preventing disease than blocking one or the other.
Apart from that, LRA picked Nisha Limaye, from de Duve Institute, who is currently working to gauge the dynamics of cellular senescence in Lupus Nephritis. For better understanding, LN happens to be the most common and severe complication of SLE, with remission reached in no more than 30-40% of patients.
Dr. Limaye will study, in that respect, whether cellular senescence, a process where cells stop dividing but remain alive and metabolically active, impacts LN progression.
Then, there is Theresa Lu, the Hospital for Special Surgery, who will explore the connection between photosensitivity and bone less in SLE. People with SLE are at a higher risk for osteopenia and osteoporosis, but the behind that remains largely known. Many people with lupus are also photosensitive and their skin can produce inflammatory molecules, including type 1 interferons.
Against that, Dr. Lu will test whether the skin could be a source of molecules that contribute to bone loss. By doing so, the entire effort will shed light upon the importance of controlling photosensitivity to protect from long-term fracture risk and improve the overall health of individuals with lupus.
“The 2024 Lupus Innovation Awardees are addressing important challenges in the field, from identifying new therapeutic targets to understanding the root causes of the disease,” said Teodora Staeva, PhD, LRA Chief Scientific Officer. “We congratulate our latest grant recipients and look forward to seeing the impact of their innovative work on the future of lupus treatment and care.”
