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Arthritis National Research Foundation

The charity that funds research to cure arthritis

Arthritis is the #1 cause of disability, affecting over 50 million Americans including 300,000 children. ANRF is leading the way through arthritis research. With your support we can cure arthritis.

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Why should I support your work?

Research is the key to finding a cure for arthritis and the related autoimmune diseases. With 91 cents of every dollar going directly to research programs, all gifts, large or small, make a big impact on the scientific work that will lead to better treatments and a cure for these debilitating diseases..

Why does your charity exist?

One in three American adults suffers from some form of arthritis.  That's over 66 million Americans and the Baby Boomers aren't getting any younger.  There are over 100 different forms of arthritis, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, gout, fibromyalgia and juvenile arthritis.  The estimated annual cost in terms of treatment, lost wages due to absenteeism from work and disability is $83 billion!  Better therapies will translate into pain relief for people and health care savings in the long-term.

The Arthritis National Research Foundation wants to find more effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure for arthritis.  The answers will be found in research.  ANRF provides research grants to scientists across the country studying the underlying mechanisms of arthritic diseases.  The work involving the immune system may be translated to many different autoimmune disorders including rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, MS, type 1 diabetes, etc.  Investigators funded by ANRF are young doctor-scientists at the beginning of their independent research careers.  With ANRF's help, these scientists are able to gather the research data needed to reach the next step in their careers: permanent funding and academic position. 

Young scientists obtain their Ph.D. and/or M.D. degrees and embark on several years of post-doctoral experience.  Some work with patients, some work at the laboratory bench, some may do both.  They generally receive support through the university or non-profit hospital in the form of a post-doctoral fellowship.  Fast forward several years post-doc and we have a still-young investigator with a cutting-edge research idea.  The scientist has a top laboratory's equipment and collaborative personnel at his/her disposal.  But, this scientist has no funding to support their own salary, supplies and/or technicians to help with the project.  Enter ANRF.  Our one- or two-year grant award gives this top scientist the financial boost needed to gather the scientific data required for the more permanent grants awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  ANRF steps in to help at this critical time between post-doc and independence.

What specifically do you do?

We fund the cutting-edge research to find a cure for arthritis and the related autoimmune diseases. This includes osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, juvenile arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and many other autoimmune arthritis conditions. We support newer investigators with innovative ideas in an effort to push the field of arthritis research forward towards a cure.

How will this make a difference?

By asking new and innovative questions we get new results which leads to new targets for therapies and a better overall understanding of how these diseases work. Each research project we are able to support gets us one step closer to finding a cure.

How is your work different from that of other, similar charities?

The Arthritis National Research Foundation is the ONLY charity solely focused on supporting arthritis research in the country. We fulfill a vital funding need allowing for new and innovative ideas to get into the field. Without help from donors like you, this research would be delayed and it would take much longer to achieve new treatments and a cure!

What have you accomplished?

One of the discoveries made thanks to an Arthritis National Research Foundation grant -- lymphotoxins and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) -- is the target of the most recent rheumatoid arthritis therapies: anti-TNF treatments.  This molecule is responsible for the "cascade" of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis. Treatments to block this molecule actually interrupt the disease process; whereas earlier treatments targeted alleviating symptoms only.

Another researcher at the University of Southern California has turned his ANRF grant into the first ever treatment for osteoarthritis. By creating a molecule that stimulates cells in your joint to regenerate at a rate similar to the generation of an infant joint, Dr. Evseenko has turned back the clock on joint health. This in conjunction with his novel stem cell therapy provides an option to regenerate your joints before the need for total joint replacement.

Dr. Beeton and Dr. Stevens are working on a novel therapy derived from sea anemones in an effort to treat only the cells in the inflammation process. This therapy is in clinical trials and would be a targeted approach to treating patients with various forms of autoimmune arthritis instead of suppressing the immune system as a whole.

These three examples are just a snapshot of a lot of new and exciting research going on. We invite you to read more about the research at CureArthritis.org

How can I be sure you’ll use my money wisely?

On average 91 cents of every dollar received by the Arthritis National Research Foundation (ANRF) goes directly into research programs.  This statistic and our committed to research is continuously verified by the leading online charity evaluator, Charity Navigator. Charity Navigator has been rating ANRF for eight years and all eight years they have awarded ANRF with their top 4-star rating, placing ANRF in the top 2% of nonprofits nationwide. With low overhead cost and an all-volunteer board of directors and scientific advisory board donors can be assured that their funds are going directly towards a cure.