UC Davis researcher receives grant for groundbreaking arthritis research9736354

Iannis Adamopoulos, a UC Davis researcher which specializes in skeletal and immune-system diseases, has become selected as a possible Arthritis National Research Foundation (ANRF) Scholar and Sontag Foundation Fellow. Adamopoulos will get a grant of $75,000 to help expand his promising research on rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. One of 13 ANRF scholars, he is the only awardee to get identified by the Sontag Foundation. ANRF is one kind of a small number of tax deductible charities that specialize in Arthritis Research.

"We are happy to name Dr. Adamopoulos since the Sontag Foundation Fellow for 2011," said philanthropist and Sontag Foundation President Rick Sontag. "His work may provide the next breakthrough to finally end the debilitating illness that plagued my mother for 37 many ended her life." Adamopoulos, a helper professor of internal medicine, found out that an immune cytokine called interleukin 23 (IL-23) is really a key regulator of joint inflammation and bone destruction. His discovering that abnormal expression of IL-23 causes severe arthritis and bone loss in mice was recently confirmed in human cells. The next step in their scientific studies are to ascertain the potential of IL-23 inhibitors as arthritis treatments. "Dr. Adamopoulos is shifting the main focus of arthritis research and bone health investigations toward immune-system cells not previously named significant," said Timothy Albertson, acting chair from the Department of Internal Medicine at UC Davis. "This change probably will have a very profound impact on expanding therapeutic options for those whose arthritis can't be managed with current treatments. It's admirable how the ANRF and Sontag Foundation possess the insight to identify his innovative work." Ahead of joining UC Davis this year, Adamopoulos conducted drug discovery research at Schering-Plough Biopharma in Palo Alto, Calif. He holds a B.Sc. honors degree through the University of Surrey, an M.Phil. from University College London along with a D.Phil. in the University of Oxford, Wolfson College, where he received a scholarship for research on inflammatory arthritis. Situated in Long Beach, Calif., the ANRF provides research grants to outstanding, early-career scientists who are becoming leading researchers in rheumatic disease, autoimmunity and inflammation with all the goal of finding new treatments for debilitating, chronic diseases. The ANRF's highly competitive, NIH-level review process -- conducted by its Scientific Advisory Board -- helps to ensure that only top-tier applicants and projects are funded. Every year, the Sontag Foundation fully funds the grant of your ANRF-selected researcher who is studying rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. For additional info on ways to make online donations visit curearthritis.org. The [http://education-solution.com/article.php?id=363339 is probably the nation's leading medical schools, recognized for its research and primary-care programs. The institution offers fully accredited master's degree programs in public health insurance and in informatics, and its combined M.D.-Ph.D. program is training generation x of physician-scientists to conduct high-impact research and translate discoveries into better clinical care. Together with as being a recognized leader in scientific research, the institution is committed to serving under served communities and advancing rural health.