Earlier today, the Department of Defense (DOD) announced that their Lupus Research Program has awarded nearly $10 million to 12 exciting research projects that will advance our understanding of lupus!

The Lupus Research Program was established by Congress in 2017 in response to advocacy efforts led by the Lupus Foundation of America and its advocates. Since then, lupus advocates have continued to annually raise their voices in support of this critical program.

The Department of Defense has committed more than $76 million to lupus research, including $55 million through the Lupus Research Program.

Today's announcement represents the sixth round of grants the DOD has offered and funded since the program was created. The research funded by the DOD is advancing the field and will lead to breakthroughs in identifying the causes of lupus, accelerating diagnosis, and developing new medicines to prevent and treat the disease.

Newly Funded Research Programs

The Lupus Research Program offered three funding award mechanisms in 2022 – Idea Awards, Impact Awards, and the Transformative Vision Award. 

As in the program's first five years, the response to the DOD’s call for applications was impressive. After releasing a call for applications in April of 2022, DOD received 36 high-quality applications that were then subjected to a multi-layer peer-review process. The Program has now received more than 500 applications for funding in its first six years.

In total, 12 applications will receive funding – 4 Idea Awards, 7 Impact Awards, and 1 Transformative Vision Award. 

The Transformative Vision Award for 2022 was given to the partnership of Andrea Knight from the Hospital for Sick Children and Natoshia Cunningham from Michigan State University. This specific award mechanism allows for an Initiating Investigator to include up to two Partnering Principal Investigators. 

More details about the focus of each research project will be released later this year.

In addition to advocating for funding, the Lupus Foundation of America is represented on the Lupus Research Program’s programmatic panel, which sets the direction for the Program and helps to make funding decisions. Additionally, several people living with lupus, nominated by the Foundation, serve as consumer reviewers for the Lupus Research Program and bring their vital perspectives to the review of each research application. 

Foundation Advocacy for the Lupus Research Program

With today's announcement, the Lupus Research Program at the Department of Defense has now funded 72 innovative lupus research programs since 2017. That number will continue to grow significantly in coming years thanks to the exceptional commitment and passion  of lupus advocates.

At the end of last year, lupus advocates successfully urged Congress to allocate an additional $10 million for the Lupus Research Program, which will be awarded in 2023!

As always, today's victory would not have been possible without the voices of the thousands of lupus advocates who have supported the Lupus Research Program over the years.

To be a part of the next success story, sign up as an advocate and consider attending the 2023 National Lupus Advocacy Summit, where we will advocate for even more funding for this impactful program!