UC Davis researcher receives grant for groundbreaking arthritis research3098094

Iannis Adamopoulos, a UC Davis researcher who specializes in skeletal and immune-system diseases, may be selected just as one Arthritis National Research Foundation (ANRF) Scholar and Sontag Foundation Fellow. Adamopoulos gets a grant of $75,000 to increase his promising research on rheumatoid arthritis. One of 13 ANRF scholars, he or she is the only awardee to get recognized by the Sontag Foundation. ANRF is one of a select few tax deductible charities focusing on Arthritis Research.

"We are happy to name Dr. Adamopoulos because the Sontag Foundation Fellow for 2011," said philanthropist and Sontag Foundation President Rick Sontag. "His work may give you the next breakthrough to finally end the debilitating disease that plagued my mother for 37 years and ended her lifetime." Adamopoulos, an assistant professor of internal medicine, found out that an immune cytokine called interleukin 23 (IL-23) can be a key regulator of joint inflammation and bone destruction. His finding that abnormal expression of IL-23 causes severe arthritis and bone loss in mice was recently confirmed in human cells. The next thing as part of his scientific studies are to look for the potential of IL-23 inhibitors as arthritis treatments. "Dr. Adamopoulos is shifting the main objective of arthritis research and bone health investigations toward immune-system cells not previously thought to be significant," said Timothy Albertson, acting chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at UC Davis. "This change will probably use a profound influence on expanding therapeutic selections for those whose arthritis cannot be managed with current treatments. It can be admirable that the ANRF and Sontag Foundation possess the insight to identify his innovative work." Before joining UC Davis really, Adamopoulos conducted drug discovery research at Schering-Plough Biopharma in Palo Alto, Calif. He holds a B.Sc. honors degree in the University of Surrey, an M.Phil. from University College London and a D.Phil. through the University of Oxford, Wolfson College, where he received a scholarship for research on inflammatory arthritis. Operating out of Long Beach, Calif., the ANRF provides research grants to outstanding, early-career scientists who're becoming leading researchers in rheumatic disease, autoimmunity and inflammation with all the objective of finding new control of debilitating, chronic diseases. The ANRF's highly competitive, NIH-level review process -- conducted by its Scientific Advisory Board -- ensures that only top-tier applicants and projects are funded. Each and every year, the Sontag Foundation fully funds the grant of the ANRF-selected researcher who is studying rheumatoid arthritis. For more information on ways to make online donations visit curearthritis.org. The [https://www.flickr.com/people/124589545@N02/ is probably the nation's leading medical schools, famous for its research and primary-care programs. The college offers fully accredited master's degree programs in public areas health and in informatics, and its particular combined M.D.-Ph.D. program is training the next generation of physician-scientists to conduct high-impact research and translate discoveries into better clinical care. As well as being a recognized leader in scientific research, the teachers is committed to serving under served communities and advancing rural health.