Research Grant Program

The Kirkland Center Research Grant Program was created to support research that will have direct application to lupus patients and promote collaborations among lupus investigators in the York Avenue institutions: Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Sanford and Joan Weill Medical College of Cornell University (WMC), Rockefeller University (RU), and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute (MSKCC). Basic studies aim to elucidate underlying mechanisms of disease, and clinical studies involve investigation of lupus patients. One goal of the Kirkland Center Research Grants is to support generation of preliminary data that leads to future grant proposals to major funding agencies, including NIH and SLE-targeted foundations.

Two sets of Kirkland Center Research Grants have been awarded, based on peer review by experts in the relevant field and with approval of the awards by the External Scientific Advisors.

2002-2004 Kirkland Center Research Grants:

• Dalit Ashany, MD
  Induction of Autoimmunity by Apoptotic Cells
  
  
• Nina Bhardwaj, MD, PhD
  Role of T Regulatory Cells in SLE
  
  
• Lionel Ivashkiv, MD
  Regulation of IL-10 in SLE
  
  
• Luminita Pricop, MD
  Fc Receptor Polymorphisms in SLE
  
  
• Animesh Sinha, MD, PhD
  Gene Expression Patterns in Cutaneous Lupus

2004-2006 Kirkland Center Research Grants:

• Selwyn Chow, MD (fellow award)
  Molecular and Functional Characterization of OAS1 Overexpression in Cutaneous LE
  
  
• Guillermina Girardi, PhD
  Role of C5 in Anti-phospholipid Antibody-induced Thrombosis. Can we Prevent Thrombosis by Inhibiting Complement Activation?
  
  
• Xiaojing Ma, PhD
  Molecular Regulation of Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Cytokines During Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Cells
  
  
• C. Ronald MacKenzie, MD
  Relaxation as an Intervention for SLE Patients
  
  
• Eric Meffre, PhD
  Identification and Characterization of Human Auto-reactive B Cells in Healthy Donors and Patients with SLE
  
  
• Nusrat Sharif, PhD (fellow award)
  Interferon-a Reprogramming of IL-10 activity

2007-2008 Kirkland Center Research Grants:

• Jill Buyon, MD
  Pathogenesis of Conduction Damage and Cardiomyopathy in Neonatal Lupus: Binary Insult of FcgammaR and TLR Signaling Initiated by Anti-Ro/La Bound Apoptotic Cardiocytes
  
  
• Guillermina Girardi, PhD
  Mediators and Effectors of Endothelial Activation and Thrombus Formation in Renal Injury Induced by Antiphospholipid Antibodies
  
  
• Lionel Ivashkiv, MD
  Inflammatory Regulation of Lupus Nephritis
  
  
• Kyriakos Kirou, MD
  Inflammatory Cytokine and Interferon Alpha-inducible Genes as Biomarkers of Disease Activity, Severity and Renal Involvement in Patients with SLE
  
  
• Theresa Lu, MD, PhD
  Pilot Studies on the Role of Immunoglobulins in Modulating Lymphoid Tissue Vascular Growth
  
  
• Luminita Pricop, MD
  Pathogenic Pathways Leading to End Organ Disease in Lupus Mediated by Dendritic Cells
  
  
• Pablo Colombo, MD, Jane Salmon, MD
  Functional and Remodeling Analysis of Vascular Endothelium in SLE Patients