The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 NewsACR Convergence
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
      • Psoriatic Arthritis
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Unique Meeting Accelerates RA Research

Unique Meeting Accelerates RA Research

September 1, 2010 • By From the College

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

More than 50 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) investigators from across the U.S. recently met in Ft. Worth, Texas, to share information, present data and results from their innovative RA research projects, and brainstorm ways to work more closely together to find a cure for the disease.

You Might Also Like
  • Rheumatologists Share Research, Successes at Annual Investigators’ Meeting
  • Rheumatology Research Foundation’s Annual Investigators’ Meeting Spotlights Latest Findings
  • REF’s Campaign to Support RA Research Nears its Initial Funding Target
Explore This Issue
September 2010
Also By This Author
  • Coding Corner Questions: Rheumatology Word Search

Each year, the ACR Research and Education Foundation (REF) holds an Investigators’ Meeting to bring RA researchers—all funded through its Within Our Reach: Finding a Cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis campaign—together with REF leadership, promising young investigators, and representatives from the National Institutes of Health to share progress on their individual research in RA and to find ways to assist each other. (See “An Eye on RA Innovations” in August’s issue, p. 1, for more on the meeting.)

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE
Dr. St.Clair welcoming attendees to the meeting.
Dr. St.Clair welcoming attendees to the meeting.

“This meeting continues to present cutting-edge research on the cause, diagnosis, and treatment of RA,” says REF President E. William St.Clair, MD, a rheumatologist at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. “It provides RA researchers the opportunity to share information about their research while they are still in the early phases, which then facilitates idea sharing and collaboration—something that the REF is attempting to foster among the rheumatology research community.”

The REF’s current Within Our Reach investigators represent a variety of scientific disciplines, including biochemistry, cardiovascular disease, molecular biology, and genetics. The meeting created an environment in which leading scientists could exchange information and explore cross-disciplinary collaborations that might move the field forward.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

William Robinson, MD, PhD, a Within Our Reach investigator and rheumatologist from Stanford University’s School of Medicine in Stanford, Calif., has attended two previous Investigators’ Meetings, which have led to new research collaborations focused on RA. He understands that this forum for information sharing is important to advancing RA research and providing better treatment for patients. “Scientific research requires significant resources—from the collection of sample sets to performing trials to developing highly specialized technology to having unique model systems,” he explains. “One investigator will have collected a unique sample set, while another will have a unique technology, while another will have developed a unique experimental system. Collaboration enables the investigators to address questions that none of the individual investigators could address on their own.”

Support Research Today

To make a pledge or one-time donation to the REF for the Within Our Reach campaign, visit www.rheumatology.org/REF. For more information about the Within Our Reach campaign, and to read about the grant projects, visit www.WithinOurReach.info.

This is something not often seen in the highly competitive medical research community. “This program is a unique opportunity to accelerate RA research,” explains Dr. St.Clair. “The Within Our Reach–funded investigators are open to collaboration and information sharing because they want to find a cure for this disease—they want to help patients. It is unique, and it works.” Recent treatment advances have made it possible to stop, or at least slow, the progression of joint damage, but serious complications and premature death remain risks of RA. More research is needed to uncover the cause and to find the cure for RA.

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

During this two-day meeting, more than 30 RA studies were presented for peer-to-peer education, input, and collaboration. Investigators shared their research in clinical practice, discussed the link between RA and cardiovascular disease, examined the basis for bone and tissue involvement, and provided evidence for genetic links to the disease. “Most of these studies are in the beginning phases, and these investigators are diligently working to move them forward,” says Dr. St.Clair. “The exchanging of ideas and forming of collaborations at this meeting will catapult the field forward, which is exciting news for both the medical community and the patients we treat.”

Pages: 1 2 | Multi-Page

Filed Under: Conditions, From the College, Meeting Reports, Rheumatoid Arthritis Tagged With: Annual Meeting, Basic research, Clinical research, REF, REF News, Rheumatoid arthritisIssue: September 2010

You Might Also Like:
  • Rheumatologists Share Research, Successes at Annual Investigators’ Meeting
  • Rheumatology Research Foundation’s Annual Investigators’ Meeting Spotlights Latest Findings
  • REF’s Campaign to Support RA Research Nears its Initial Funding Target
  • 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Research Offers Clues to Environmental Triggers of RA

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use / Cookie Preferences

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2023 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)