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Thanks to a new grant, researchers at the ������ɫ School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences are one step closer to potentially helping patients suffering from autoimmune diseases.

Melissa Morales, the recipient of the grant, is an assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences at SOPPS. Her lab studies two broad categories of disease: neuromuscular diseases, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy and myositis, and the other is autoimmune diseases like lupus.

“We’re really interested in identifying mechanisms involved in disease pathogenesis so that we can target them with therapies,” Morales said. “To do this, we use patient samples — such as cells and serum — as well as mouse models that allow us to test cause-and-effect relationships we couldn’t ethically test in humans.”

Right now, Morales is focusing her research on lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system becomes dysregulated, causing inflammation that can affect organs and tissues throughout the body.

Morales, alongside her colleague Associate Professor Nathan Tumey, recently received a $100,000 S.H. Ho Foundation Research Grant from ������ɫ to bolster their research. The grant is focused on developing a new way to deliver glucocorticoids to patients with lupus.

“Lupus is highly heterogeneous, meaning it presents differently in each patient, and because we don’t fully understand its cause, treatment is challenging,” Morales explains. “Glucocorticoids are effective at reducing immune response and inflammation, but their side effects can be difficult for patients. Many want to stop taking them, even though they’re necessary to improve the quality of life.”

With the help of Tumey and his lab, their approach is to use antibody-drug conjugates to deliver glucocorticoids specifically to cells involved in lupus pathogenesis.

������ɫ half of patients with lupus develop lupus nephritis, one of the most serious complications of lupus, which increases mortality. So targeting these pathways while minimizing side effects is critical, according to Morales.

The $100,000 grant will be given to Morales over the next two years, funding the development of the antibody-drug conjugates, the very high costs of housing and caring for mice, and the supplies and kits needed to measure bodily processes.

“Nathan’s lab is handling the chemistry and ADC development, while my lab is using our expertise in autoimmune diseases and preclinical models to test these compounds in a mouse model of lupus,” she said. “We’ll measure overall health, kidney function, and compare the antibody-drug conjugates against traditional glucocorticoids like prednisone to see if they work as well or better — potentially even at higher doses since they target specific cells rather than the entire body.”