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UTHSC INVESTIGATOR SELECTED FOR LUPUS RESEARCH GRANT

 

            Memphis, Tennessee (November 3, 2005) – Marko Z. Radic, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Molecular Sciences at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, was among a select few researchers to be chosen for a Lupus Research Institute (LRI) grant.  The three-year $300,000 grant will support Dr. Radic’s examination of the molecular features of the primary cellular components that are targeted by the immune system in lupus.

            “If we are successful, we will be able to devise a method to prevent the tissue damage that arises in this disease,” said Dr. Radic, who also noted that the last “new” treatment for lupus was approved over 40 years ago.

            Founded by families of lupus patients, the Lupus Research Foundation is unique in that it is also funded and totally run by these families.  The organization seeks to support innovative research which is focused on treating and curing lupus.

            Dr. Radic received his PhD in biological sciences from the University of California, Irvine, and did post-doctoral training at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. He received the Julius Erving Lupus Research Award from the Lupus Foundation of Delaware Valley, and is the recipient of the American Foundation for Aging Research Award for Biomedical Research.

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