| eNews: December Edition |
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Greetings!
As 2021 comes to a close, I wanted to thank you, our scleroderma community, for inspiring all of us at the SRF to remain laser-focused on our mission. We are, and always have been, singularly focused on finding a cure for scleroderma. And thanks to the dedicated support of many generous donors and advocates, today we're making progress at a faster pace than ever before:
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The CONQUER Registry: More than 550 scleroderma patients are now participating in the CONQUER Registry, the first national U.S. database launched by the SRF aimed at developing new therapies for systemic sclerosis. In early 2022, we will be taking this project to the next level of impact by welcoming four new medical centers that will begin enrolling patients and by offering a new grant opportunity that will utilize the CONQUER data to advance research.
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Advances in Research: In addition to funding over $2 million this year to support innovative research projects, we're thrilled to report that the “Multiomics Lung” project, which aims to increase the understanding of SSc-ILD, is progressing quickly. Researchers plan to begin analysis on the lung samples much sooner than expected, which will ultimately inform the development of new therapies.
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Cure Crew Resilience: Despite challenges caused by the pandemic, our dedicated and ever-resilient Cure Crew members raised over $100,000 to support research (both in-person and online) and devoted countless hours to raise critical awareness about this disease through social media advocacy, cause-marketing, and more.
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Cool Comedy • Hot Cuisine: Our virtual event this year not only raised more than $700K to directly support SRF's research programs, but it also reached an unprecedented global audience to spread awareness about scleroderma. Viewers from across the U.S. and 12 countries around the globe watched and interacted with the broadcast event via social media. While it was gratifying to have so many people join us virtually for Cool Comedy • Hot Cuisine, we're looking forward to returning to in-person events next year.
These are just a few highlights of our progress this year, all made possible by caring people like YOU. Thank you again for your belief in our mission, and I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together in 2022.
With warm wishes and much gratitude,
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Joanne Gold
Executive Director
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Why Funding Research Matters |
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Supporting the Scientific Community
Hear from Dr. Howard Chang, Stanford University School of Medicine
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Recurring Gifts Can Make a Big Impact |
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As you make your final year-end donations, please consider making a recurring gift (monthly, quarterly, or annually) to the SRF. Your ongoing support will provide a steady, stable income we can count on so that we can invest in the most promising research and help maintain momentum in the coming year. Whether you give $10, $20, or $100 at a time, your recurring gift will allow the SRF to remain singularly focused on research so that we will one day have a cure for scleroderma.
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Not ready to give monthly? Your one-time gift—at any level—can help achieve our vision of a world free from scleroderma.
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Sign Up Now for Our Upcoming Webinar on Gastrointestinal Involvement in Systemic Sclerosis |
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Learn more about GI involvement in systemic sclerosis in a webinar presented by SRF-funded researcher Dr. Zsuzsanna McMahan, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at Johns Hopkins University. She will also provide an overview of current knowledge and emerging research for patients and will answer questions after the presentation.
Tuesday, January 18th
1:00pm ET, 10:00am PT
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Advances in Understanding Fibroblast Biology |
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SRF-funded researchers Michael Longaker, MD, MBA, and Howard Chang, MD, PhD, both of Stanford University, recently published a paper in PNAS on their newly-developed integrated spatial multi-omic analysis platform, which they used to understand how the numerous fibroblast populations present in skin choreograph repair of a wound. The SRF is funding the Longaker and Chang research groups to further develop their cutting-edge technology and apply it to understanding how altered fibroblast function leads to fibrosis in scleroderma.
"Drs. Longaker and Chang's work is a huge advance in our ability to investigate and understand fibroblast biology and we believe it will lead to significant advances in fibrosis research," explains SRF Board Member Deann Wright.
Photo shows "color-coded" fibroblast populations moving toward the center of a wound.
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Why Participate in CONQUER? |
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Hear from one of CONQUER’s principal investigators, Dr. Lorinda Chung of Stanford University, about why patient participation in this nationwide longitudinal registry is essential for improving care and developing more effective, personalized therapies for scleroderma patients. |
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Will's Inspiration to be an Advocate for Research |
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"I believe so strongly in the power of scleroderma research, that I have worn a Scleroderma Research Foundation wristband since I was in middle school to help prompt conversations about the disease, my dad’s diagnosis, and our family’s experience," says Will Whitehurst. Read more about why Will advocates for a cure and supports scleroderma research. |
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