The Arthritis Foundation is committed to advancing science to discover better treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory forms of arthritis like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis and others. This commitment is part of our legacy. The Arthritis Foundation was behind one of the earliest clinical trials that set the stage for methotrexate to become a mainstay of treatment for RA. The discovery of the protein interleukin-1 receptor alpha (IL-1Rα), the target of the FDA-approved drug anakinra (Kineret), arose in part from research we funded and helped usher in the era of biologics.
In 2021, we renewed our commitment to advancing the science of RA by launching the RA Research Program. Working with a group of experts from government and academia, we have refined our priorities in RA research to focus on the underlying causes of treatment-resistant RA. By supporting such research, we aim to improve the lives of people with RA for whom currently available therapies are ineffective.
The Arthritis Foundation is inviting applications that seek to better understand and predict the progression of RA, including from pre-RA to clinical RA, and progression to more severe disease. Competitive projects should aim to define risk factors/biomarkers of disease progression, pathogenic mechanisms, and approaches to prevent or slow RA disease onset and progression. The long-term goal of this Arthritis Foundation research program is to reduce the incidence of RA and slow disease progression.
Request for proposals opens on Feb. 21, 2024, and the letters of intent are due on May 21, 2024.
Areas of focus for successful proposals may include, but are not limited to:
• Identifying determinants of disease progression, including conversion of pre-RA (defined as systemic elevations of RA-related autoantibodies prior to the development of clinically-apparent RA) to clinically diagnosed RA, and progression to severe and/or refractory disease, including disease with extraarticular manifestations;
• Developing biomarkers to predict disease onset, progression, disease course, and response or non-response to treatment;
• Uncovering the underlying mechanisms driving initial autoimmunity, pre-RA, conversion to clinically-diagnosable RA, disease progression, and non-response to medication;
• Identifying interventions to delay RA onset, slow disease progression, and/or treat refractory disease; and
• Uncovering social determinants of health and their association with RA development, progression, and response to medication.
• All proposed research projects must be led by a Principal Investigator (PI) who holds a doctorate (e.g., Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent degree).
• Applicants who hold the rank of full Professor (or equivalent) are excluded from applying for these opportunities.
• For Pilot Awards: PIs must hold a full-time faculty/staff appointment up to and including the rank of Associate Professor (or equivalent), be a clinical fellow, or be an experienced postdoctoral fellow at an academic or other non-profit research institution within the United States. Applicants holding non-tenure track, full-time, independent faculty-level positions with titles such as Instructor, Assistant Research Professor, or similar are eligible to apply.
• For Large Awards: PIs must hold a full-time faculty/staff appointment up to and including the rank of Associate Professor (or equivalent). Applicants holding nontenure track, full-time, independent faculty-level positions with titles such as Instructor, Assistant Research Professor, or similar are eligible to apply. Postdoctoral fellows and clinical fellows are not eligible to apply for this award type.
Multiple applications will be accepted from a single institution, provided that each application has a different applicant PI and represents a distinct hypothesis.
This RFP invites research proposals of two types:
A. Pilot Research Award: Projects aim to investigate a novel hypothesis with no preliminary data requirements. Budget of up to $75,000 per year for 2 years (up to $150,000 total per award), or
B. Large Research Award: Projects aim to investigate a novel hypothesis and require preliminary data. Budget of up to $150,000 per year for 3 years (up to $450,000 total per award).