Understanding lupus risk across diverse populations to improve early diagnosis
Official title: Integrative approaches to understand systemic lupus erythematosus etiology in trans-ancestry genetic studies
Funded at Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr · NIH-11160721 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A team will combine genetic data from many populations to improve how we predict who is at risk for lupus and how early it can be diagnosed.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hershey, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $706,616 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI174108-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11160721 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with lupus or individuals at risk due to family history or genetic factors may benefit from improved risk prediction and earlier diagnosis.
✕Less likely to help
People without lupus risk factors or those not involved in genetic risk profiling may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project brings together genetic data from people of different ancestries to refine the genetic variants linked to lupus and to build more accurate risk scores. Researchers will create and test new methods that combine data from multiple autoimmune diseases and ancestries, helping to identify causal variants more precisely. They will also validate these findings with experiments and aim to share software tools so other researchers can apply the approach to lupus and related conditions. The work has potential implications for earlier diagnosis, personalized risk assessment, and better understanding of disease biology.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the research could lead to earlier and more accurate lupus risk prediction and support personalized monitoring and preventive strategies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous lupus GWAS have identified many risk loci, and meta-analytic approaches across diverse populations have shown promise in improving fine-mapping and risk prediction.
Where this research is happening
-
Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr
Hershey, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Liu, Dajiang — Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr
- Study coordinator: Liu, Dajiang
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.