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 opened on Feb. 21, 2024, and the letters of intent were due on May 21, 2024. Letters of Intent could be submitted via Proposal Central beginning March 6, 2024. 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.

2023 RA Research Program Awardees

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 RA Research Program Awardees

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

RA Publications

Recent Publications

2021 ACR Guideline for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) published its 2021 guideline for treating rheumatoid arthritis.

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