The Arthritis Foundation, Maryland Chapter today announced that it will launch the Maryland Arthritis Research Center (MARRC), a pioneering research collaboration that, for the first time ever, will bring together scientists and researchers from these three prominent institutions to determine how abnormalities in the immune system cause a number of forms of arthritis and related disorders. These forms include rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, and polymyositis.

“There is no other collaborative research effort this extensive dedicated to finding a cure for arthritis anywhere in the country,” says Antony Rosen, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine and Rheumatology and Deputy Director, Division of Rheumatology at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Rosen will chair MARRC’s Executive Committee, which will provide planning and oversight for the Center.

“MARRC will revolutionize the way in which arthritis research is conducted, capitalizing on the strengths of some of the best and brightest minds in the arthritis field,” explains Barry Handwerger, M.D., Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Vice Chair of the Arthritis Foundation, Maryland Chapter.

“As researchers pool their energies and talents, the potential for improving patient treatment, preventing premature disability, uncovering the cause of arthritis, and, ultimately, discovering a cure increases exponentially,” Dr. Handwerger continues.

The Arthritis Foundation, Maryland Chapter has provided the initial funding to create MARRC, as well as a $3 million start-up grant to insure the Center’s financial viability for its first three years of existence.

“MARRC represents the most innovative initiative in the Maryland Chapter’s ongoing efforts to extend the frontiers of arthritis research by investigating ways to prevent the disease, develop more effective treatments, and eventually cure arthritis by sponsoring cutting-edge research,” notes Brenda Crabbs, Chair of the Arthritis Foundation, Maryland Chapter. Over the past decade, the Chapter has funded more than $9 million of highest caliber local and national research.

“MARRC has the potential to become the leader in arthritis research worldwide, replacing competition with cooperation and providing a rich, productive environment within which teams of researchers from the three institutions will collaborate to put the pieces of the arthritis puzzle together,” Ms. Crabbs continues.

Experts estimate that by the year 2020, more than 60 million persons nationally will have arthritis, nearly a 40% increase over today’s level. In Maryland alone, almost 900,000 individuals now have arthritis.

Although arthritis typically is thought of as affecting older persons, 45% of all people with arthritis are under the age of 45. Juvenile arthritis impacts 285,000 children in the U.S., while 7.3 million young adults are affected with arthritis and related diseases.

For MARRC, grants will be awarded annually for innovative, collaborative research projects that take advantage of the tremendous research expertise resident at the three participating institutions.

Research projects are selected from the field of proposals by MARRC’s External Advisory Board, which includes scientists from Yale University, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, the University of Alabama, and the Wistar Institute. Selected projects are then submitted for a second round of vigorous peer review by the National Arthritis Foundation. This grant review process assures that the research funded by MARRC is of the highest quality.

Seven collaborative research projects are now being funded through MARRC. These multi-institutional studies focus on the following:

Dysregulation of the growth hormone/insulin growth factor-axis in rheumatoid arthritis, led by John M. Bathon, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center; Muscle microenvironment in autoimmune myositis, led by Livia Casciola-Rosen, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Role of chemokines in the pathogenesis of interstitial lung disease, led by Jeffrey D. Hasday, M.D., University of Maryland School of Medicine; Role of granzyme B in autoimmune myocarditis, led by Charles J. Lowenstein, M.D., Associate Professor, Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Link between past infections and autoimmunity in order to develop a better understanding of the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis, led by Kamal Moudgil, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine; Trafficking and expression of stress proteins in pro-immune settings, led by Mark J. Soloski, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; and Autoantibody specificity in chronic graft-vs-host disease, led by Charles S. Via, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Co-Director of Maryland Lupus Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine.

“It is absolutely essential that people realize arthritis is not the trivial, ‘take two over-the-counter pain relievers and feel better in the morning’ story often portrayed in ads,” asserts Ms. Crabbs. “We must take arthritis seriously, advance the work of researchers, and improve the quality of life for those affected by this disease. MARRC will help us to do just that.” Over its 50-year history, the mission of the Arthritis Foundation, Maryland Chapter has been to support research to find a cure for and prevention of arthritis and to improve the quality of life for those affected by arthritis.

In addition to funding research, the Maryland Chapter offers a wide range of education, exercise, medical equipment, and self-help programs to assist people in managing arthritis and related conditions. The Chapter also has a large statewide network of supporters who advocate for legislation and benefits that will improve the quality of life for people with arthritis.