Masonic Medical Research Institute (MMRI) Awarded $200,000 by Lupus and Allied Diseases Association, Inc. (LADA)

Funding to support four innovative research projects in lupus

UTICA, N.Y. – On Thursday, August 14, 2025, officials from MMRI received a surprise announcement by LADA President and CEO, Kathleen A. Arntsen, that its three previously supported lupus research projects would receive an additional $50,000 each this year, and for one new project focused on the function of interferon regulatory factor 2 binding protein 2 (IRF2BP2) in the regulation of lupus development and function, which received an additional $50,000, totaling $200,000. The check was presented at LADA’s 25th Lupus Charity Golf Classic, located at Turning Stone Resort Casino, Verona, New York.

MMRI scientists aim to understand how specific enzyme activities influence lupus progression, create new therapeutic agents for lupus and investigate the role of immune cell activity in causing autoimmune disease. “As a national patient-led organization, we have chosen to support the MMRI’s lupus research program because research is extremely important to us,” said Kathleen A. Arntsen, president & CEO, Lupus and Allied Diseases Association, Inc. “We are honored to continue funding their pioneering lupus projects this year, which brings our overall grant total to MMRI to $815,000.

The MMRI research funded by LADA is focused on preventing and treating lupus, a devastating autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack a person’s own tissue, causing inflammation in the skin, joints, blood, heart, lungs, brain and kidneys, and leads to extreme exhaustion, fevers, skin rashes, hair loss and anemia.

“We are deeply grateful to LADA for their commitment, partnership and support of our work, allowing us to push the boundaries of lupus research,” said Maria Kontaridis, Ph.D., executive director and Gordon K. Moe professor and chair of biomedical research and translational medicine at MMRI. “Every dollar invested brings us one step closer to understanding this complex disease, finding better treatments, and ultimately improving the lives of those affected by lupus. Their support is truly a beacon of hope for millions.”

In addition to its financial support, MMRI partnered with LADA on Saturday, May 17, 2025, to hold Utica’s second annual walk to support lupus research, and in honor of lupus awareness month. The event welcomed more than 250 people to walk at the Masonic Care Community Campus in support of the devastating autoimmune disease.

Photo attached (from left to right): Robert Hewson, DPM, past board president and chairman at MMRI; Greg Wang, Ph.D., research scientist at MMRI; Chase Kessinger, Ph.D., assistant professor of cardiovascular medicine at MMRI; Millie Occhionero, director of marketing and communications at MMRI; Maria Kontaridis, Ph.D., executive director at MMRI; Kathleen Arntsen, president and CEO at LADA; Samantha Le Sommer, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow at MMRI; Jason McCarthy, Ph.D., associate professor and scientific operations director at MMRI; Nicole Knoblock, events coordinator at MMRI; Zachary Nordstrom, development officer at MMRI.