Rheumatoid Arthritis

Advancing Science for Better RA Treatments

Rheumatoid Arthritis

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.

Working Group

The Arthritis Foundation’s Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee in 2021 assembled an RA Working Group of RA experts to help refine and focus our priorities in rheumatoid arthritis research.

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RA Research Program RFPs

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 is now open, and the letters of intent are due on Monday, June 2, 2025, at 2 PM ET. Letters of Intent could be submitted via Proposal Central. The invitation is open to early- and mid-career investigators affiliated with U.S. academic institutions and hospitals who are committed to improving the outcomes of rheumatoid arthritis patients through biomedical and/or health outcomes research.

Review the RFP here.

2024 RA Research Program Awardees

Learn more in our press release.

Christopher Striebich, MD

Institution: University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Grant title: National Network to Prospectively Study Individuals at Risk for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Award mechanism: Large award
Amount awarded: $448,662
Award duration: 3 years
Read more about Christopher Striebich

Jeffrey Sparks, MD

Institution: Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Grant title: Cellular Biomarkers for Risk and Progression of Subclinical Interstitial Lung Disease in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis
Award mechanism: Large award
Amount awarded: $450,000
Award duration: 3 years
Read more about Jeffrey Sparks

Mehmet Hocaoğlu, MD

Institution: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Grant title: Genetic and Environmental Risk Factors for Progression to Rheumatoid Arthritis Using Machine Learning Model Predictions
Award mechanism: Pilot award
Amount awarded: $150,000
Award duration: 2 years
Read more about Dr. Hocaoğlu's work

Fan Zhang, PhD

Institution: University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Grant title: Uncovering Dynamic Immunophenotypes by Developing Novel AI Methods to Predict RA Onset
Award mechanism: Pilot award
Amount awarded: $149,557
Award duration: 2 years
Read more about Dr. Zhang’s work

Thomas Riley, MD

Institution: Penn Medicine
Grant title: Using Polygenic Risk for Disease Susceptibility to Predict Disease Severity and Treatment Response in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis
Award mechanism: Pilot award
Amount awarded: $150,000
Award duration: 2 years

Aryana Sepassi, PharmD

Institution: University of California, Irvine
Grant title: Effects of Socioeconomic and Racial/Ethnic Status on Biologic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Agents for Medicare Beneficiaries
Award mechanism: Pilot award
Amount awarded: $150,000
Award duration: 2 years
Read more about Aryana Sepassi

Past RA Grant Awardees

2023

Learn more in our press release

Michael George, MD

Institution: University of Pennsylvania
Grant title: Genetic predictors of metabolic adverse effects with glucocorticoid treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Award mechanism: Pilot award
Amount awarded: $150,000 Award duration: 1 year
Read more about Dr. George

Wen-Yuan Elena Hsieh, MD

Institution: University of Colorado, Denver
Grant title: Immunological determinants of the development of clinical rheumatoid arthritis evaluated in the pre-RA and early stages of disease
Award mechanism: Large award
Amount awarded: $450,000
Award duration: 2 years
Read more about Dr. Hsieh

Theresa Wampler Muskardin, MD

Institution: Hospital for Special Surgery
Grant title: Examination of Pathotype-specific Biology and Treatment Response using Microbioengineered and Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient-Derived Synovium-on-a-Chip
Award mechanism: Large award
Amount awarded: $450,000
Award duration: 2 years
Read more about Dr. Wampler Muskardin

2022

Rebecca Blank, MD, PhD

Institution: New York University Grossman School of Medicine
Grant title: Modifying the gut microbiome and systemic immune response to enhance methotrexate efficacy in rheumatoid arthritis patients with inadequate response
Award mechanism: Pilot award
Amount awarded: $74,995
Award duration: 1 year
Read more about Dr. Blank

Susan Goodman, MD

Institution: Hospital for Special Surgery
Grant title: Characterizing Targets in Refractory RA
Award mechanism: Large award
Amount awarded: $450,000
Award duration: 3 years
Read more about Dr. Goodman

Elaine Husni, MD, MPH

Institution: Cleveland Clinic
Grant title: Defining a Personalized
Treatment Approach to Rheumatoid Arthritis: Using Genetic Markers of TNFi Response
Award mechanism: Pilot award
Amount awarded: $75,000
Award duration: 1 year
Read more about Dr. Husni

Dan Solomon, MD, MPH

Institution: Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc.
Grant title: Defining immune cell phenotypes and cell functions that distinguish treatment responders and non-responders in RA: towards development of a liquid biopsy to personalize treatment
Award mechanism: Large award
Amount awarded: $450,000
Award duration: 3 years
Read more about Dr. Solomon

Scientific Publications

ACR Guidelines for Managing RA

Access the American College of Rheumatology’s latest guidelines for the pharmacologic management of rheumatoid arthritis.

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Scientific Publications

2024 RA Research Summit Highlights

The Arthritis Foundation and the Hospital for Special Surgery hosted a Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Summit where discussions included mechanisms of RA pathogenesis, treatment non-response and comorbidities. A series of manuscripts by presenters is published in the journal Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism.

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