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Arthritis Foundation Awards $5.5 Million to 11 Investigators

The Arthritis Foundation announced that 11 scientists were selected out of 167 proposals as the 2015 Scientific Discovery Awardees for their innovations toward finding a cure for arthritis and related diseases. This is the Foundation's first request for proposals with revised eligibility criteria to include anyone who can provide bold, new ideas that accelerate the scientific discovery process toward a cure for the more than 50 million adults and 300,000 children in the U.S. living with arthritis.

"The Arthritis Foundation is focused on finding a cure and championing the fight against arthritis with life-changing science and support," says Ann M. Palmer, president and CEO of the Arthritis Foundation. "Those with arthritis are depending on the Arthritis Foundation to foster a scientific discovery environment that thrives on innovative solutions."

A major differentiator for the 2015 selection process, funded projects were required to demonstrate a clear interdisciplinary pathway to viability in the marketplace. The awards include innovative proposals such as using "smart nanosomes" (small packets that enclose drugs) to directly target drugs to damaged cartilage; a study on whether endotoxins contribute to knee osteoarthritis progression; and the use of next-generation ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequencing in order to create a diagnostic test for rheumatoid arthritis.

Beeton, Christine

Baylor College of Medicine,

Houston, TX

Targeting KCa1.1 channels in synoviocytes for the treatment of RA

$386,587

Duration 2016-2019

Cho, Hongsik

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN

A Novel Method of Detecting and Treating in Early PTOA Using Smart Nanosome

$270,000

Duration 2016-2018

Kraus, Virginia

Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

The Role of Low-Grade Endotoxemia in Osteoarthritis

$411,062

Duration 2016-2018

Kriegel, Martin

Yale University, New Haven, CT

Commensal Prokaryotic Ro60 Orthologs as Causal Triggers for Lupus

$344,581

Duration 2016-2019

Lefebvre, Veronique

Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH

Quality-by-Design approach to create articular cartilage from pluripotency

$318,774

Duration 2016

Martin, James

The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Engineering Endogenous Cartilage Repair

$961,381

Duration 2016-2019

Sampen, Hee-Jeong Im

Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL

Dysregulation of Circadian Rhythm and Osteoarthritis

$500,000

Duration 2016-2019

Stein, Michael

Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

Extracellular small RNAs in rheumatoid arthritis - Delivering on Discovery

$1,350,000

Duration 2016-2021

Sun, Hui

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University

A novel formulation for OA prevention and treatment

$216,000

Duration 2016-2018

Wimmer, Markus

Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL

Augmented Feedback Using Pressure Detecting Insoles to Reduce Knee Loading

$311,740

Duration 2016-2018

Yeung, Rae

The Hospital for Sick Children; Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA)

Precision Decisions to STOP-JIA

$385,000

Duration 2016

 

The Arthritis Foundation is now accepting proposals for 2016 scientific discovery awards. Interested investigators should submit a Letter of Intent by February 22, 2016. More information can be found at http://www.arthritis.org/arthritis-cure/funding-opportunities/.

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Disclosures
The author has no conflicts of interest to disclose related to this subject