MMRI receives $200,000 in funding for lupus research

UTICA, N.Y. — The Lupus and Allied Disease Association, Inc. (LADA) recently awarded the Masonic Medical Research Institute (MMRI) $200,000 for four research projects at the lab.

LADA presented a check to MMRI at its 23rd Lupus Charity Golf Classic, held at the Shenendoah Golf Course at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona.

“As an organization led by individuals who are directly impacted by lupus, we are honored to support quality, groundbreaking lupus research,” LADA President/CEO Kathleen A. Arnsten said in a press release. “We are thrilled that a premier research facility such as MMRI exists locally and look forward to advancing breakthroughs.”

MMRI dedicated a new laboratory space specifically for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) research.

“Our partnership with LADA is invaluable and the need for continued research to find the cause of SLE is critically needed,” Maria Kontaridis, executive director, chair of biomedical research and translation medicine, and Gordon K. Moe professor, said. “MMRI aims to identify new ways to treat and, hopefully, cure this disease.”

The MMRI research funded by LADA focuses on preventing and treating SLE, an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack a person’s own tissue, causing inflammation of the skin, joints, blood, heart, lungs, brain, and kidneys. It can lead to exhaustion, fevers, skin rashes, hair loss, and anemia.

MMRI scientists are working to identify how increased activity of specific biological enzymes in the body can affect the progression and pathogenesis of SLE, identify new ways to target and treat lupus nephritis, develop and use novel therapeutic agent to treat SLE, and study how immune-cell activity in SLE can lead to the development of venous thromboembolism.

“Our research endeavors are making tremendous strides in the fight against SLE,” Kontaridis said. “We are extremely grateful to LADA for their commitment, partnership, and support of our work.”

This year’s gift brings LADA’s total support of MMRI to $415,000 since it became a research sponsor in 1990.

Founded in 1978, LADA is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for those impacted by lupus and allied diseases.

MMRI’s research focuses on multiple areas of cardiac research including congenital heart disease, hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy, heart failure, inflammation, stem cells, genetics, electrophysiology, diabetes and obesity, metabolism, autoimmunity, neurodegeneration, and cancer.