May 1, 2019

The Lupus Research Alliance is honored to serve the lupus community as the global leader in lupus research, both in the resources we deploy and the results we deliver.  Collectively we have invested more than $200 million in over 500 grants selected by a multi-level peer review process led by world-class luminaries in the lupus field and beyond.

Our expertise spans the entire breadth of research — fundamental, translational and clinical studies — under one roof.  Driven to push the boundaries of innovation in pursuit of new lupus therapies, our grants have allowed the best minds to pursue the most promising and creative scientific exploration. Their work has paid off, paving the way for every major breakthrough in lupus research over the past two decades – including the development of Benlysta – the only drug developed specifically for this autoimmune disease.

Having conducted a thorough analysis of our grant portfolio from the organizations’ founding through May of last year, we are proud to share our achievements below – the stats speak for themselves!

• More than half of the Lupus Research Alliance-funded grants received follow-on funding from the federal government through the National Institutes of Health and other sources, meaning that they receive large-scale support after proving their hypothesis through their LRA-funded project. The additional funding amplifies LRA’s original investment to further pursue ideas first substantiated here.
• Each of the grants contributed to the international lupus scientific dialogue, with an average of between 2 and 4 publications per grant.
• Patents were filed for one out of five Target Identification in Lupus grants.
• About 65% of our work has identified new targets for development of new therapies.
• Over half of our Target Identification in Lupus grants have led to testing potential treatments.
• 60 percent of our grants led to new collaborations among clinicians and scientists from different disciplines, industry and government, merging multiple perspectives.
• 35% of our Novel Research Grants were given to investigators who had never worked in lupus before, bringing fresh perspectives from other disciplines to lupus research.
• Our grants also support clinical trials through our Lupus Clinical Investigators Network (LuCIN). Administered by our affiliate Lupus Therapeutics, 10 lupus clinical trials are currently underway.

In observance of Lupus Awareness Month, we will bring you hope in the way we know best – by sharing the critical research contributions your support has enabled. With your help, the Lupus Research Alliance has been breaking through for 20 years and will continue on a well-mapped-out road that heads straight to the cure while detouring to improve treatment along the way.