The Lupus Foundation Partners in Study of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

A partner with Casas Hof Constructora e Inmobiliaria, Bradley DiTeresi leads a real estate development company that builds condos in Peru. Bradley DiTeresi also contributes to several charitable organizations, including the Lupus Foundation of America, which recently announced a partnership to perform stem cell research. 

The Lupus Foundation of America is partnering with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to fund a study that will assess whether mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) can serve as an effective treatment for lupus. NIAID will support the phase II study for five years, beginning with $720,000 in year one. The Lupus Foundation has already committed $3.8 million to the five-year study.

In addition to contributing to the knowledge base of whether MSCs hold promise as an effective treatment for lupus, the study will help researchers determine whether these cells reduce the long-term effects of lupus or the need for steroids and other medications, which sometimes cause harmful side effects. With this study, researchers hope to find a treatment that proves effective at curbing the debilitating symptoms of a disease that affects millions of people throughout the world.