F or the first time during its unprecedented initiative to find a cure for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the ACR Research and Education Foundation (REF) is releasing new information acquired from research funded by the Within Our Reach campaign.
Doctors and scientists from across the United States are using more than $12 million in grants awarded by the REF to investigate critical issues, including early detection of RA, novel treatment pathways, and improved patient–provider interaction and patient care. Although research is still underway, the REF is encouraged by the progress made thus far and is pleased to announce the new and promising knowledge that RA researchers will continue to build upon as studies continue.
“The REF is committed to funding RA research that is not being done elsewhere and supporting scientists and doctors who are most prepared and motivated to work on finding a cure,” explains Leslie J. Crofford, MD, president of the REF. “The quality and value of the studies in progress are evidence that the Within Our Reach campaign is critical and must continue.”
Today, the Within Our Reach campaign is supporting 30 innovative research studies. Highlights of new information gained from select studies include:
New Treatment Pathways: A study led by Gary Firestein, MD, at the University of California School of Medicine in San Diego, focuses on how the central nervous system can control inflammation—a chronic, damaging, and painful symptom of RA. The study is the first to identify a new pathway that allows the spinal cord and brain to decrease joint inflammation and joint destruction. Now that this pathway is identified, new therapies can be developed to utilize it and mimic the anti-inflammatory effects of the central nervous system.
Early Detection of RA: Successful management of RA requires early medical intervention, and a new study led by Antony Rosen, MD, at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, seeks to identify specific pathways that drive RA development and generate tissue damage. Dr. Rosen and his team of researchers are working to define new blood tests to help rheumatologists diagnose RA in its early stages, which will improve their ability to monitor disease activity and prevent early RA from amplifying.
Health Literacy and Patient–Physician Interaction: Edward Yelin, PhD, of the University of California, San Francisco, is leading the most systematic attempt to date to understand the role that patient–physician communication and health literacy play in understanding disparities in RA treatment and healthcare outcomes for different patient populations. This study compares standard measures of disease activity (such as the degree of joint damage) with assessments of socioeconomic status (such as income, education level and employment status, race/ethnicity of the patient, and the language spoken at home) to explain disparities in care and treatment of RA.
To fund this research, the REF has raised more than $24 million for the Within Our Reach campaign from the community at large and from the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.
Abbott, one of the four Pinnacle donors of Within Our Reach, became involved early in the campaign. “Medical research has significantly advanced rheumatoid arthritis treatment. Because of new treatments, many people with RA are living pain-free, productive lives and feeling better than we could have imagined just a decade ago. Our hope is that through the continued advancement of medical science there will be a way to prevent this debilitating disease one day,” says Rebecca S. Hoffman, MD, divisional vice president of immunology development at Abbott.
Michael Corbo, vice president and development team lead at Bristol-Myers Squibb, echoes this sentiment. “Significant progress has been made in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, yet there is still much to be done in the fight to begin to identify a cure for this disease, which affects so many. The success of the Within Our Reach campaign and the amount raised to date is a promising step towards this goal,” he says. “Bristol-Myers Squibb is extremely proud to be involved in this innovative research campaign that supports our mission of extending and enhancing human life.”
UCB, a biopharmaceutical company with U.S. operations in Atlanta, is another Pinnacle donor that got involved for similar reasons. “As a patient-centric company, we feel it is important to advance the scientific and research knowledge about rheumatoid arthritis,” explains David Robinson, vice president and general manager of UCB’s inflammation business unit. “UCB is committed to improving the treatment of RA, and this campaign by the REF is an excellent opportunity to advance the treatment options and give patients and physicians the tools they need to combat this debilitating disease.”
The ACR has also made a major investment in the campaign, making the first Pinnacle level commitment at the early stages of the campaign.
“The REF believes that more funding needs to be directed toward the kind of RA research that goes beyond treatment only—the kind of RA research that seeks to find a cure through better understanding of the causes of, and preventions for, this devastating disease,” says Dr. Crofford. “So I am delighted to share that we have funded 30 grants amounting to $12 million thus far, and we will continue to fund grants annually until the entire $30 million has been spent.”
To learn more about the Within Our Reach campaign, visit www.WithinOurReach.info.