May 1, 2024 —

Dear Friends,

Lupus Awareness Month officially starts today, and with so many advancements, never has there been a time for more optimism.

We are delighted to begin May following a productive first-anniversary meeting of the Lupus Accelerating Breakthroughs Consortium (Lupus ABC) where people with lupus partner with representatives from the FDA, industry, and researchers on projects to accelerate the development of new lupus treatments. The varied perspectives of people living with lupus were powerfully expressed by the members of the Lupus Voices Council and visibly inspired everyone in the room.

Today, we kick off the month partnering with the national lupus community at a New York City-based event Equity for ALL: Lupus Call to Action Day to improve health equity among people with lupus and drive change. The Lupus Research Alliance and Lupus Therapeutics will be gathering with influential leaders in health equity and lupus from such organizations as the National Minority Health Association, Healthfirst, and Global Healthy Living along with healthcare professionals, people with lupus, other lupus advocacy groups, and pharmaceutical partners.

Throughout the month, we will share messages of hope and stories of inspiration to further educate the world about lupus, spark others to get involved, and unite a growing community behind our common cause. We encourage you to use this Lupus Awareness Month Social Media Community Toolkit with engaging, ready-to-use content to bring attention to lupus among your friends and family. The more people who appreciate what it means to live with lupus, the faster we will deliver a future where it no longer exists.

Moreover, our clinical research affiliate Lupus Therapeutics will host an upcoming live webinar you won’t want to miss about engineered cell therapies being evaluated in lupus. While more research is needed, these therapies are showing promise.

You are our inspiration to keep pushing with passion every single day. We stand at your side and invite you to stand by ours to get the job done – to Free the World of Lupus!

With much appreciation,

Albert T. Roy
President and CEO, Lupus Research Alliance