Six recipients were selected for their novel projects that will help improve lupus diagnosis and treatment

NEW YORK, April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Lupus Research Alliance (LRA), the world's largest private funder of lupus research, announced the six newest recipients of the Lupus Innovation Award. The award empowers scientists to pursue high-risk, high-reward approaches to major challenges in lupus research with the potential to transform our understanding of the disease.

Lupus is a complex, chronic autoimmune disease that impacts millions of people worldwide but remains widely misunderstood. This year's selected projects aim to advance our knowledge of lupus – from examining genetic and environmental triggers to innovative disease biomarkers and pathways.

"These studies push the boundaries of what we know about lupus – looking to shed light on how the disease develops, progresses, and how its most dangerous complications may be prevented or treated more effectively," said Teodora Staeva, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at the Lupus Research Alliance. "We're eager to see the outcomes of these awards and their ultimate impact on the field and on the millions of people living with lupus worldwide."

The selected investigators receive up to $150,000 per year for two years to accelerate the pace of discovery in lupus research. The award also empowers early-stage investigators, who are eligible for an additional year of funding.

The recipients are:

• Samira Asgari, PhD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Early-Stage Investigator)

• • Research has shown that viral infections can contribute to the development of lupus, but the full range of viruses that may trigger the disease or worsen symptoms have not been clearly identified. Dr. Asgari will use high throughput cutting-edge technology to compare blood samples from Hispanic/Latinx and Black women with and without lupus to identify viruses linked to lupus risk. By creating this detailed "map" of viral exposures that may influence the onset or severity of lupus, Dr. Asgari's research could uncover new disease triggers and guide future prevention or treatment strategies.

• Katia Faliti, PhD, Emory University School of Medicine (Early-Stage Investigator)
  • B cells help defend the body against infections. In healthy conditions, T cells 'help' ensure that only the right B cells – those that correctly recognize foreign invaders – are selected to grow and respond. In lupus, this process breaks down, allowing harmful cells to produce autoantibodies that target a person's own healthy tissues. Dr. Faliti will examine blood and lymph node samples to better understand a type of T helper cell that behaves abnormally in people with lupus and may drive the production of destructive autoantibodies. Understanding how these lupus-related T cells function could point to new ways to stop, or possibly even reverse, their damaging effects.

• Andrea Fava, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine
  • Dr. Fava will investigate specialized kidney cells called fibroblasts, which are increasingly recognized as key drivers of scarring and long-term kidney failure in lupus nephritis. Using advanced molecular mapping, he will identify distinct fibroblast subtypes within kidney biopsies and determine which are linked to future kidney damage. He will then analyze urine samples from the same patients to discover proteins that signal the presence of these harmful fibroblasts, with the goal of developing a noninvasive urine test to monitor disease progression and treatment response.

• Alexander Gitlin, MD, PhD, Sloan Kettering Institute
  • Toll-like receptor (TLR7) signaling plays a major role in lupus. However, many different gene mutations – not only those affecting TLR7 – can cause lupus, and it is unclear whether a shared mechanism ties these mutations together. Dr. Gitlin will use mouse models and state-of-the-art tools to test whether multiple lupus-causing mutations disrupt TLR7 signaling through a common pathway, known as the Caspase 8-N4BP1 axis. Findings from this study could identify a new unifying disease-causing pathway that can be a therapeutic target for lupus.

• Jason Knight, MD, PhD, University of Michigan
  • About 25% of people with lupus also develop antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), a condition that leads to dangerous blood clots and can cause long-term damage to organs such as the brain, heart, and kidneys. Dr. Knight will study migrasomes, which are small, bubble-like structures released by certain types of cells. Migrasomes display sticky proteins on their surface and trigger clotting and inflammation. By examining the role of migrasomes in APS and lupus, this research could uncover new treatment strategies, as one in five patients treated with blood thinners (the typical treatment for APS) go on to have new clots. Blood thinners also do little to prevent the slow damage that causes organs to fail over time.

• Patrick Mitchell, PhD, University of Washington
  • Keratinocytes, the primary cells in the skin's outer layer, express a gene called NLRP1. Mutations in NLRP1 are linked to several autoimmune diseases that involve the skin, including lupus, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Dr. Mitchell will use human skin equivalents grown in the lab and other models to investigate how NLRP1 contributes to skin inflammation. This work may reveal new drivers of inflammatory skin disease and guide the development of better treatments for cutaneous lupus and other autoimmune conditions.

To learn more about the Lupus Innovation Award and breakthroughs funded by the Lupus Research Alliance, visit here.

About Lupus 
Lupus is a chronic, complex autoimmune disease that affects millions of people worldwide. In lupus, the immune system, meant to defend against infections, produces autoantibodies that mistake the body's own cells as foreign, causing other immune cells to attack organs such as the kidneys, brain, heart, lungs and skin, as well as blood and joints. Ninety percent of people with lupus are women, most often diagnosed between the ages of 15-45. Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian and Pacific Islander people are disproportionately affected by lupus and more likely to experience severe lupus symptoms.

About the Lupus Research Alliance
The Lupus Research Alliance is the largest non-governmental, non-profit funder of lupus research worldwide. The organization aims to transform treatment by funding the most innovative lupus research, fostering diverse scientific talent, and driving discovery toward better diagnostics, improved treatments and ultimately a cure for lupus. Because the Lupus Research Alliance's Board of Directors funds all administrative and fundraising costs, 100% of all donations go to support lupus research programs.

For more information, please visit the LRA at LupusResearch.org and on social media at: X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

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SOURCE Lupus Research Alliance