(Left) Saira Sheikh, MD; (Right) Shehzad Sheikh, MD, PhD

The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) Biomarkers Consortium recently held an Inflammation and Immunity Steering Committee Ideation and Design Meeting on March 24^th, 2025, in Bethesda, Maryland. For the event, Dr. Saira Sheikh, Linda Coley Sewell Distinguished Professor of Medicine in the ������ Division of Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology and Director of the Clinical Trials Program at ������’s Thurston Arthritis Research Center, and her brother Dr. Shehzad Sheikh, Professor of Medicine & Genetics in the ������ Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, were invited to pitch their collaborative project, Molecular Phenotyping in Lupus Nephritis.

The consortium heard 11 different concept pitches for projects, followed by live voting at the end of the event. Drs. Shehzad and Saira Sheikh won first place, with the highest number of votes, allowing them to advance to funding discussions for their project. The meeting was a great showing for ������, with Dr. Eveline Wu, Division Chief of Pediatric Rheumatology and Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, also presenting a concept pitch, Biomarkers to Optimize Initial Treatment for Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, on behalf of the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) that ranked third overall with votes for funding consideration.

Shehzad Sheikh, MD, PhD (left) and Saira Sheikh, MD (right) at the FNIH Biomarkers Consortium meeting in Rockville, MD.

The FNIH will now work with Drs. Shehzad and Saira Sheikh to find industry and other collaborators that are enthusiastic about the science and clinical impact of their project. Dr. Saira Sheikh commented that the event was “an enriching and intense experience,” and that she looks forward to learning as they go regarding the unique funding mechanism for their project.

The team would like to highlight their collaborators, Dr. Vimal Derebail (������ Division of Nephrology & Hypertension), Shruti Saxena Beem (������ Thurston Arthritis Research Center), Dr. Susan Hogan (������ Division of Nephrology & Hypertension), Dr. Manish Saha (������ Division of Nephrology & Hypertension), Dr. Keisha Gibson (������ Division of Nephrology & Hypertension) and Caroline Poulton (������ Kidney Center), who were key contributors to the preliminary work on the Multi-Omic INtegrative Analysis (MONA) Lupus project that set the stage for this project pitch, utilizing the Glomerular Disease Collaborative Network (GDCN) resource established by Dr. Ron Falk and Dr. Charles Jennette�� in 1985 at ������.

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Left to right: Amanda E. Nelson, MD, MSCR, RhMSUS; Liubov Arbeeva, MS; Yvonne Golightly, PT, MS, PhD

Researchers from the Thurston Arthritis Research Center at ������, Amanda E. Nelson, MD, MSCR, RhMSUS, Professor of Medicine, ������ Division of Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology, Liubov Arbeeva, MS, Biostatistician, ������ Thurston Arthritis Research Center, and Yvonne Golightly, PT, MS, PhD, Assistant Dean for Research, Professor, UNMC College of Allied Health Professionals, coauthored a recent Nature publication reporting findings from the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) to date that uncovered drug targets and therapy opportunities for osteoarthritis (OA). Data from the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project (JoCoOA) provided by these researchers contributed significantly to the robust database of nearly 2 million individuals the international team studied to discover new genetic associations of OA.

Read highlights from the Helmholtz Munich press release below.

The research team conducted the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) ever performed on osteoarthritis, uncovering over 900 genetic associations. More than 500 of these associations had never been reported before, providing fresh insights into the genetic landscape of the disease. By integrating diverse biomedical datasets, the researchers identified 700 genes with high confidence as being involved in osteoarthritis. “With ten percent of our genetic targets already linked to approved drugs, we are now one step closer to accelerating the development of effective treatments for osteoarthritis,” explains study leader Prof. Eleftheria Zeggini, Director of the Institute of Translational Genomics at Helmholtz Munich and Professor of Translational Genomics at the Technical University of Munich.

Beyond identifying genetic targets with therapeutic potential, the study also provides valuable insights that could help tailor treatment strategies. “Genetic variants associated with osteoarthritis risk are widespread across osteoarthritis patients,” says co-first author Dr. Konstantinos Hatzikotoulas. “Our newly gained knowledge about them can enable improved patient selection for clinical trials and personalized medicine approaches.” In addition to these genetic insights, the scientists identified eight key biological processes crucial to osteoarthritis development, including the circadian clock and glial cell functions. “Our discovery suggests that targeted interventions regulating one or more of these eight processes could play another significant role in slowing or even halting disease progression,” Hatzikotoulas adds.

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Mildred Kwan, MD, PhD

Penicillin Allergy Decision and Mobile Empowerment (PADME) is a penicillin (PCN) allergy delabeling program that utilizes a patient-initiated risk assessment survey and leverages telehealth and community partners to reduce disparities in access to PCN allergy delabeling. The PADME website was recently updated to include a free patient-facing adult survey to assess risk of true allergy to PCN. Previously, the PCN allergy risk survey offered on their site was limited to pediatric patients. Along with the addition of the adult survey, the PADME website is now available in Spanish, in an effort to reach the growing patient population for PCN allergy.

The implementation of this important addition to the PADME website was led by Dr. Mildred Kwan, Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of Quality Improvement in the ������ Division of Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology, in collaboration with Dr. Andrew Winslow, former ������ Allergy and Immunology fellow and current Pediatric Allergist and Assistant Professor in the University of Cincinnati Division of Allergy and Immunology, and Dr. Nonie Arora, second year ������ Allergy and Immunology fellow. The ������ Connected Health for Applications & Interventions (CHAI) Core and Lineberger Cancer Center served as essential resources for this project, with special thanks from Dr. Kwan to Brittany Frew for her management of the project.

To access this tool, visit the PADME website () and to learn more about PADME, read the published papers listed below.

Nonie Arora, Mildred Kwan, Andrew Winslow. Penicillin Allergy Decision and Mobile Empowerment (PADME): Patient engagement and delabeling outcomes. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Volume 155, Issue 2, Supplement, 2025, Page AB184. ISSN 0091-6749.

Andrew Winslow, Mildred Kwan. Penicillin Allergy Decision and Mobile Empowerment (PADME): A Novel Patient-Initiated Delabeling Program. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Volume 153, Issue 2, Supplement, 2024, Page AB131. ISSN 0091-6749.

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Assessments completed by participants, including patient-reported outcome (PROs) instruments and two open-ended questions at time of enrollment or therapy initiation, helped to identify patients’ top improvement priority and treatment impact goals. The results from these assessments revealed that decreasing pain and improving skin were the most common improvement priorities among participants. The impact goals reported were more diverse, including but not limited to responses such as decreasing pain, general improvement in life, and the ability to be more active.

The heterogeneity of patient priorities in this study highlights the importance of understanding patient treatment goals to guide personalized management.

This study was possible from the mentorship of Dr. Alexis Ogdie, Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at University of Pennsylvania.

Allenzara A, Bush K, Husni ME, Reddy SM, Scher JU, Craig E, Koplin J, Walsh JA, Ogdie A. Diverse Treatment Goals in Psoriatic Arthritis: Insights from participants in the PARC cohort. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2025 Mar 23.

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Left to right: Astia Allenzara, MD; Aaron Smith, MD

The ������ Core Center for Clinical Research (CCCR) recently selected the first two pilot grant funding awardees for 2025. We are excited to announce that Dr. Astia Allenzara, Assistant Professor of Medicine, and Dr. Aaron Smith, First Year Rheumatology Fellow, both in the ������ Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, have been chosen to receive pilot grant funding for their proposed projects.

Dr. Allenzara’s project aims to assess time to idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) diagnosis and treatment from patients’ initial ������ specialist visit. This project�� will help generate preliminary data for future work to identify gaps in IIM identification and care. Dr. Allenzara noted that the pilot grant funding will be essential for accessing statistical expertise support from Carolina Alvarez, a biostatistician in the ������ Thurston Arthritis Research Center.

Dr. Smith’s project will utilize data extraction from the electronic medical record to better understand acceptability, tolerability and treatment response to bupropion therapy in patients prescribed bupropion for lupus-associated fatigue. Biostatistical support from the CCCR Methodology Core and Dr. Becki Cleveland will also be a vital resource for Dr. Smith’s project, in addition to mentorship, resources and project coordination from the Sheikh Research Team.

Pilot grant applications will continue to be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. The number of awards will depend on available pilot grant funding and CCCR priorities. If you are interested in learning more about this funding opportunity and/or applying, please visit the ������ CCCR Pilot Grant Funding website.

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Several TARC researchers contributed to the work, including Yvonne Golightly PT PhD, Tessa Walker MPH, Sue Guin RT(R), Jordan Renner MD, Todd Schwartz DrPH, Carolina Alvarez MS, and lead author and former fellow (now on faculty at Ohio State), along with researchers from other institutions, including several members of the Ultrasound School of North American Rheumatologists ().

This study utilized the group’s previously protocol and atlas to generate and score standardized US features in a community-based cohort of Black, White, and Hispanic men and women with and without OA. Through their participation in the JoCoHS, all of these individuals completed numerous questionnaires regarding various aspects of their health along with standardized radiographs and US. This unique dataset allowed the study team to determine associations among US features and important KOA outcomes, while demonstrating the utility, reliability, and accessibility of US in OA.

To learn more about this study, read the or the attached abstract.

Yates KA, Alvarez C, Schwartz TA, Savage-Guin S, Renner JB, Bakewell CJ, Kohler MJ, Lin J, Samuels J, Walker T, Golightly YM, Nelson AE. Associations and Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasound Features in Knee Osteoarthritis: Cross-sectional Results from a Large Community-based Cohort. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2025 Feb 24. doi: 10.1002/art.43139. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39989271.

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Stephen Schworer, MD, PhD

The AAAAI Foundation is dedicated to supporting the development of junior faculty to further their careers in allergy and immunology, and to help create leaders and independent investigators by funding excellent research that will lead to the prevention and cure of asthma and allergic and immunologic disease.

Dr. Schworer will receive $100,00 per year for 3 years when the funding period begins in July 2025. He will be honored as the recipient of the award at the upcoming AAAAI meeting on March 1st in San Diego, CA.

For more information about the AAAAI Foundation Faculty Development Award, .

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Jason Franz, PhD (left); Brian Pietrosimone, PhD, ATC (right)

An interdisciplinary team of Thurston Arthritis Research Center members spanning biomedical engineering, exercise and sports science, biostatistics has received a new 5-year, $3M R01 Grant from the�� titled “Discovering the Mechanisms Linking Gait to Osteoarthritis Onset and Progression.”

The project is led by co-principal investigators associate professor in the joint department of biomedical engineering, and,��professor in exercise and sport science. Additional collaborators include��and,��associate professors in the joint department of biomedical engineering, along with��,��professor and associate chair of biostatistics, and��Lara Longobardi,��associate professor of medicine.

The research team will investigate the underlying mechanistic pathway to explain how aberrant knee joint loading in walking alters the mechanical, biophysical and biological properties of tibiofemoral articular cartilage in individuals at risk for knee osteoarthritis. The researchers noted that “establishing this mechanistic pathway is the single most important milestone toward advancing precision gait retraining as an effective strategy for preventing knee osteoarthritis.”

The TARC pilot funds received by Jason Franz and Brian Pietrosimone helped contribute to the development of the study, with both pilot grants being utilized collaboratively to help secure this award from the NIH.

Project Number: 1R01AR083952-01A1

This story was first written and published on the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering’s��

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Left to right: Saira Sheikh, MD; Jonathan S. Serody, MD; Natalie Grover, MD; Vimal Derebail, MD, MPH

The divisions of Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology, Hematology and Nephrology & Hypertension are working together to bring new and innovative cell-based therapies to patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This multidisciplinary, collaborative work brings further recognition to ������ as a leader in this space, and prominence as one of the few centers worldwide with expertise in this area. The emergence of Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, for indications beyond cancer, offers the promise for rapid and prolonged disease- and medication-free remission in patients with severe autoimmune disease, with potential for a cure.

In 2015, Drs. Gianpietro Dotti, Barbara Savoldo and Jonathan Serody initiated the ������ Cellular Therapy Program designed to bring adoptive cellular therapy using chimeric antigen receptors, which can bind to target with antibody affinity but with the function of T lymphocytes, to patients with cancer. Since that time, ������ has opened 18 clinical trials using CAR T cells to treat patients with hematological and solid tumors including therapy for patients with glioma, head and neck, lung, ovarian cancer, and triple negative breast cancer. This program composed of over 50 physicians, advanced practice professionals, clinical pharmacy practitioners, cellular therapy coordinators, financial counselors, study and data coordinators and regulatory staff, is currently the largest solid tumor cellular therapy program in the United States of America.

Additionally, investigators have found that CAR T cell targeting the B cell antigen CD19, used for the treatment of patients with B cell leukemia or lymphoma, can be deployed to treat autoimmune diseases. Under the leadership of Dr. Saira Sheikh in the Division of Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology and the Thurston Arthritis Research Center, and co-led by Dr. Vimal Derebail in the Division of Nephrology and Hypertension and Dr. Natalie Grover in the Division of Hematology, the ������ Lupus Multidisciplinary Team has successfully treated several patients who have severe, refractory SLE with CAR T cells targeting the B cell antigen CD19. The initial data suggests the potential of this approach for an “immune system reset”, allowing patients to discontinue immunosuppressive therapies and achieve a compelling clinical response. The team is committed to providing an opportunity for patients across the state of North Carolina to participate in clinical trials for innovative treatments like CAR T at ������.

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Left to right: Douglas Phanstiel, PhD; Richard Loeser, MD; Brian Diekman, PhD

A new study from the labs of Douglas Phanstiel, PhD, Richard F. Loeser, Jr., MD, and Brian Diekman, PhD recently identified 13 risk genes that can increase chances for developing osteoarthritis (OA). The results from this study, published in Cell Genomics, has filled a considerable knowledge gap in the effort to define genetic targets for therapies.

The work on this project began in 2022 when they received a $2.5 million grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. This collaborative initiative was made possible by bringing together multiple areas of expertise between the PIs and their lab members. Using a genomics approach, they unveiled 13 genes that have a high probability of influencing genetic risk in OA. Six of the newly identified genes are brand new to scientists, in terms of their connections to the joint disease.

With these genes identified, the research team plans to continue their work on multiple fronts. Researchers from across the labs are currently performing studies to better understand the biological processes that are being initiated by their newly identified causal genes. Additionally, Dr. Loeser’s lab is conducting drug screening studies to find drug compounds that target the biological pathways of interest.

To learn more about this study and the researchers involved, read the��, ������ Health Communications Specialist, and read the����in the latest issue of��Cell Genomics.

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