Lupus Research Institute Discoveries Blaze New Paths to Understanding and Treating Lupus
Results Ripple through Field, Transform Research Outlook
In frustration over the glacial pace of discoveries in lupus, families and scientists formed the Lupus Research Institute with the conviction that being open to the most brilliant ideas would finally shake up the field, spur innovation, and generate new understanding of why and how the lupus immune system attacks the body that it should be defending.
Now a professional assessment of the Institute-funded work completed to date reports striking successes for this pioneering approach. In funding ideas that others wouldn’t risk—85 new ideas explored over 3 years each—the LRI has energized and advanced immune system research in lupus. “The speed with which the Institute has changed the outlook for lupus research is remarkable,” said William Paul, MD, Chief, Laboratory of Immunology, NIAID-NIH, and chairman of the Lupus Research Institute’s scientific advisory board.