Milken Institute And Ann Theodore Foundation Award Over $2.5 Million For Sarcoidosis Research

The Milken Institute Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC), successful business pinch nan Ann Theodore Foundation (ATF), coming announced that nan Ann Theodore Foundation Breakthrough Sarcoidosis Initiative (ATF-BSI) has awarded 5 grants totaling much than $2.5 cardinal to interdisciplinary investigation teams. Concurrently, nan 2 partners person launched ATF-BSI's 5th information of philanthropic backing via a caller petition for proposals (RFP) related to sarcoidosis research.

ATF-BSI's 4th cohort of awardees spans 5 funded projects (listed below). Each task is associated pinch an institution pinch which nan project's lead interrogator is affiliated. Some funded projects see investigators and researchers astatine further institutions.

• Institution: University of California, San Francisco, US
Lead investigator: K. Mark Ansel, PhD, Associate Professor of Microbiology & Immunology
Project: Revealing pathogenic signatures successful sarcoidosis utilizing single-cell genomics

• Institution: University of Minho, Portugal
Lead investigator: Agostinho Carvalho, PhD, Principal Investigator and Vice Director astatine nan School of Medicine's Life and Health Sciences Research Institute
Project: (Dys)regulation of phagosomal dynamics successful sarcoidosis pathogenesis

•  Institution: Medical University of Vienna, Austria
Lead investigator: Georg Stary, MD, Principal Investigator, Department of Dermatology
Project: Deciphering nan domiciled of FRC-like fibroblasts successful cutaneous sarcoidosis 

ATF and SPARC besides induce independent researchers who are willing successful conducting investigation successful sarcoidosis aliases different granulomatous diseases to research nan caller RFP for an upcoming information of backing to beryllium announced mid-year 2026. One-page letters of intent will beryllium accepted done 11:59 p.m. ET connected Thursday, October 23, 2025. Funded projects will beryllium eligible for up to $460,000 successful backing complete 2 years, and funded projects tied to interdisciplinary investigation teams will beryllium eligible for up to $575,000 complete 2 years. Potential applicants are encouraged to taxable letters of intent sloppy of whether they person anterior acquisition successful sarcoidosis-specific experience; applicants without acquisition successful sarcoidosis are not required to co-apply pinch a sarcoidosis master to suffice for funding.

Sarcoidosis, a debilitating and sometimes fatal inflammatory condition, is marked by abnormal clusters of immune cells successful various organs-most often successful nan lungs. In nan absence of a cure aliases moreover disease-specific treatments, group surviving pinch sarcoidosis whitethorn acquisition utmost fatigue, breathing difficulties, associated pain, fever, aliases oculus inflammation. These complications whitethorn resoluteness spontaneously successful 1 to 2 years for immoderate individuals, while they whitethorn beryllium lifelong aliases recurrent for others.

Due to historically meager backing for sarcoidosis research, fewer clinicians and researchers study nan disease. To alteration that, ATF and SPARC person collaborated since 2020. Among different efforts, they person published a Giving Smarter Guide that identifies strategical opportunities for philanthropic finance successful sarcoidosis and launched ATF-BSI, which has since committed complete $10 cardinal to sarcoidosis research. To date, much than 20 teams from complete 15 institutions person utilized ATF-BSI's backing to initiate investigation aimed astatine advancing knowing of sarcoidosis' underlying biology, which is needed to create novel, effective therapeutics.

Achieving amended curen and attraction for sarcoidosis isn't explained by a deficiency of technological liking aliases by nan quality of nan illness itself-it's been constricted by insufficient resources and section organization. As each caller cohort of funded researchers receives nan support they need, we're proud not only to activate promising investigation directions but besides to turn nan nascent organization of scientists and clinicians who tin build shared knowledge, create resources for nan field, and train an upcoming procreation of researchers to alteration continuous advancement for years to come. We judge that amended treatments are successful sight."

Cara Altimus, PhD, managing head of SPARC

"With truthful overmuch astir sarcoidosis remaining a mystery-why truthful galore group acquisition different symptoms of varying severity, sometimes temporarily and sometimes permanently-the aesculapian organization is constricted successful nan curen they tin offer," said Lisa Spalding, spokesperson for nan Ann Theodore Foundation. "We must meet this infinitesimal by supporting those who activity to reply those questions, arsenic a basal measurement toward treating nan roots of this debilitating illness."