The Arthritis National Research Foundation has funded four scientific studies investigating the disease pathways that lead to the debilitating autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus (SLE) and scleroderma. The studies range from pinpointing the genetic make-up of cells susceptible to Rheumatoid Arthritis to understanding the human immune system’s malfunctioning in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE or Lupus).

"Understanding the disease pathway is the first step toward determining the cause of the disease and, ultimately develop new therapies," said Gale A. Granger, Ph.D., Arthritis National Research Foundation president and Professor of Immunology at the University of California, Irvine. "The four investigators receiving grants from ANRF this year exemplify the Foundation’s dedication to studying why and how the body reacts as it does in the pathogenesis of these autoimmune diseases," he added.

A normally functioning immune system enables us to recover from infections by releasing antibodies to attack foreign, unwanted substances. In Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Lupus, which are autoimmune diseases, this highly efficient immune system has made a mistake and is attacking "self tissues." While not the most prevalent form of rheumatic disease (osteoarthritis impacts over 17 million Americans), RA and Lupus are the most painful and crippling rheumatic diseases, affecting nearly eight million Americans.

Since 1952, the Arthritis National Research Foundation has provided grant funds for basic scientific studies into the causes of and new therapies for rheumatic diseases. The investigators awarded grants for the 1998-99 grant cycle are:

• Susan Kovats, Ph.D., Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope
• Elizabeth Mellins, M.D., Stanford University Medical Center
• Rebecca Tuetken, M.D., Ph.D., University of Iowa
• Paul Utz, M.D., Harvard Medical School

Susan Kovats, Ph.D., of the Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope in Duarte, California, received a $35,000 grant to study the nature of self-antigens (substances released by the body, as opposed to foreign substances, to stimulate production of antibodies) in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Her investigation will focus on whether tissue damage or infection confuse the recognition mechanism of the immune system, thereby attacking self-tissues as if they were foreign. "Insights to these self-antigens will aid the design of strategies for therapeutic intervention in RA," said Dr. Kovats.

Dr. Kovats received her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1991, and is currently an Assistant Research Scientist in the Beckman Institute’s Division of Immunology.

Elizabeth Mellins, M.D., of the Stanford University Medical Center, received $40,000 to test the hypothesis that RA susceptible genes interact differently with key regulators in the RA disease pathway than do non-susceptible genes. Specifically, she will investigate if inherited genetic alterations in the recognition mechanism of the immune system are defective and cause the patient to identify certain self-antigens as foreign. This novel approach may yield insight into RA pathogenesis, providing fuel for new therapeutic strategies.

Dr. Mellins is a practicing pediatric rheumatologist and an innovator in the field of antigen presentation. She received her M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1978 and has taught both Pediatrics and Rheumatology at the University of Washington, University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University Medical Center.

Rebecca Tuetken, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Iowa, received $40,000 to study the mechanism of how the immune system recognizes and reacts against foreign and self-DNA (genetic information). This will help explain how certain patients with autoimmune diseases react

against their own DNA. "My hope is that this study will provide both a more complete understanding of the innate immune response to bacterial DNA and new insights in the pathogenesis of SLE, possibly leading to new therapeutic approaches," said Dr. Tuetken.

Currently a post-doctoral fellow in Rheumatology at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Dr. Tuetken received her Ph.D. in Immunology and M.D. from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine in 1989 and 1991, respectively.

Paul Utz, M.D., of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which is affiliated with Harvard Medical School in Boston, received $40,000 to study cell death’s role in the development of autoimmune diseases such as lupus and scleroderma. Dr. Utz’s study will focus on the mechanism of how proteins released from dying self-cells can be modified and how these modified proteins then stimulate the patient’s immune system. Once stimulated, the immune system will attack both dying and living cells to cause autoimmune disease. Successful completion of this project may greatly advance the level of understanding of autoimmune disease mechanism.

Dr. Utz is a practicing rheumatologist and instructor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, who received his M.D. in 1991 from Stanford University School of Medicine.

The Arthritis National Research Foundation has been funding arthritis and rheumatic disease research since 1952. Based in Long Beach, California, ANRF disseminates information to the public on current research through a periodic newsletter and their web site, www.curearthritis.org. Grants are awarded on an annual basis. Proposals are peer-reviewed by the Medical Committee of the Board of Directors, as well as NIH-level expert scientists and physicians in the field.