Allen Steere NIH funding history

On the database, only the last ten years are available. So, there were
probably other grants in addition to the ones listed here. Note that
grants are all multi-year, including one that runs TWENTY YEARS!

He has pulled in grants of around a half million a year for the last
ten years, and maybe more for twenty years, keeping in mind that we
don't know everything he was getting before 1996.

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Grant Number: 5R01AR020358-31
PI Name: STEERE, ALLEN C.
PI Title: CHIEF
Project Title: LYME ARTHRITIS- A NEW EPIDEMIC DISEASE

Abstract: DESCRIPTION: (Verbatim) - About 10 percent of patients with
Lyme arthritis have persistent knee swelling for months or even several
years after oral and intravenous antibiotic therapy. After treatment,
such patients, in our experience, have no remaining spirochetal DNA in
synovial tissue or joint fluid, suggesting that live spirochetes have
been eliminated from the joint. During the past grant cycle, we
identified a possible autoimmune mechanism that may partially explain
the persistence of Lyme arthritis after antibiotic therapy. The
mechanism in DRB1*0401-positive individuals involves molecular mimicry
between the dominant T cell epitope of B. burgdorferi outer-surface
protein A (OspA165-173) and a homologous sequence of human lymphocyte
function associated antigen-1 (hLFA-1alpha332-340). In this proposal,
we test the hypothesis that synovial inflammation may persist in
treatment-resistant arthritis patients with a range of MHC alleles
because of molecular mimicry between this dominant T cell epitope of
OspA and hLFA-1. Our plan is to determine the frequencies of various
MHC alleles in patients with treatment-resistant arthritis compared
with those in treatment-responsive patients and those in a control
population. PBL and synovial fluid lymphocytes (SFL) from
treatment-responsive and treatment-resistant patients will be screened
for reactivity with OspA165-173 and LFA-1alpha332-340, and cloned
OspA165-173-reactive T cells from selected patients with a range of MHC
alleles will be tested for reactivity with hLFA-1alpha332-340. Using an
in vitro peptide binding assay, DR or DQ molecules obtained from
selected patients' EBV-transformed B cells will be tested for their
ability to bind the OspA and hLFA-1 peptides. Finally, after
appropriate antibiotic treatment, the efficacy and safety of DMARD
therapy will be observed in treatment-resistant patients. Lyme
arthritis is the only human form of chronic inflammatory arthritis in
which the triggering agent, immunogenetic susceptibility, and a
candidate autoantigen are known. Thus, it is currently the only human
system in which it is possible to explore specific infectious and
autoimmune mechanisms that may lead to chronic inflammatory arthritis.

Thesaurus Terms:
Lyme disease, arthritis, autoantigen, autoimmune disorder, bacterial
antigen, genetic susceptibility, leukocyte adhesion molecule,
pathologic process
Borrelia, T lymphocyte, antirheumatic agent, arthritis therapy, disease
/disorder proneness /risk, drug resistance, human population genetics,
human therapy evaluation, major histocompatibility complex
human subject, patient oriented research, synovial fluid

Institution: MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
55 FRUIT ST
BOSTON, MA 02114
Fiscal Year: 2005
Department:
Project Start: 01-JUL-1987
Project End: 28-FEB-2006
ICD: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ARTHRITIS AND MUSCULOSKELETAL AND SKIN
DISEASES
IRG: GMA


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Grant Number: 5U01CI000157-02
PI Name: STEERE, ALLEN C.
PI Title: CHIEF
Project Title: Diagnosis and Pathogenesis of Early Lyme Disease

Abstract: DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this grant
proposal is to improve diagnostic testing for Lyme disease and to
identify spirochetal and host factors that lead to more severe disease.
This goal will be carried out by the analysis of samples from large
retrospective and prospective series of well-characterized patients
with Lyme disease. For this project, a leading candidate
second-generation serologic test, an IgM OspC (C10)-peptide ELISA and
an IgG VIsE (IR6)-peptide ELISA, will be assessed prospectively' and
compared with the results obtained by whole-cell sonicate ELIoA and
Western blot in patients with early or late Lyme disease and in control
subjects. Antibody responses to novel glycolipid antigens of B.
burgdorferi will be explored to learn whether serial determinations of
these responses after antibiotic treatment may serve as a potential
surrogate marker for spirochetal killing. The value of quantitative PCR
as a diagnostic test will be determined for patients with Lyme disease
as compared with standard PCR and culture. The spirochetal burden in
skin biopsy samples of erythema migrans (EM) skin lesions and
spirochetal virulence factors in isolates from these lesions will be
delineated, and the results will be correlated with clinical markers of
spirochetal dissemination and severity of infection. Finally, cytokine
and chemokine profiles in EM lesions from these patients will be
determined and correlated with clinical markers of spirochetal
dissemination and severity of infection and with blood test results of
cellular and humoral immune function. These studies are likely to lead
to more accurate tests for the serodiagnosis of Lyme disease, for
direct detection of the spirochete, and for the assessment of
spirochetal killing. In addition, greater knowledge of spirochetal
virulence and host factors associated with severe disease may allow the
development of laboratory markers for patients who would benefit from
more intensive treatment.

Thesaurus Terms:
Borrelia, Lyme disease, biomarker, communicable disease diagnosis,
diagnosis design /evaluation, diagnostic test, enzyme linked
immunosorbent assay, host organism interaction, pathologic process,
serology /serodiagnosis
Spirochaetales, antibiotic, antigen antibody reaction, bacteria
infection mechanism, cooperative study, cytokine, cytotoxicity,
diagnosis quality /standard, erythema, glycolipid, immunoglobulin G,
immunoglobulin M, virulence
biopsy, centrifugation, clinical research, gas chromatography, human
subject, matrix assisted laser desorption ionization, patient oriented
research, polymerase chain reaction, western blotting

Institution: MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
55 FRUIT ST
BOSTON, MA 02114
Fiscal Year: 2005
Department:
Project Start: 01-APR-2004
Project End: 31-MAR-2008
ICD: NATIONAL CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES (NCID)
IRG: ZC

____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Grant Number: 2T32AR007570-11
PI Name: STEERE, ALLEN C.
PI Title: CHIEF
Project Title: RESEARCH TRAINING IN RHEUMATOLOGY AT NEW ENGLAND
MEDICAL

Abstract: DESCRIPTION: (Taken from the applicant's abstract) This is
the tenth year of this research training program in Adult and Pediatric
Rheumatology at New England Medical Center, Tufts University School of
Medicine, supported by training grant AR-07570. An aspect of the
training program is the close cooperation between Adult and Pediatric
Rheumatology. Of the 17 graduates of the program, 11 now have faculty
appointments in academic medical centers and 2 others are currently
continuing their postdoctoral training here with other support. The
goal is to provide supervised research in the laboratory or in clinical
care research under the guidance of an accomplished faculty mentor,
along with structured training in molecular biology, immunology,
clinical trials, biostatistics, and ethical issues through courses or
conferences. The research thrust in the Rheumatology/Immunology
Division is the study of infectious agents, immunity and cytokines in
the chronic inflammatory arthritides. A major focus is the study of
Lyme arthritis, one of the few forms of chronic inflammatory arthritis
in which the cause is known. With this grant renewal, research
opportunities are being added in host responses to retroviruses and
Epstein Barr virus. In addition, training in clinical care research
through course work and clinical projects is a new part of the training
program. Altogether, 9 faculty members participate in this rheumatology
training program, including 4 from the Rheumatology/Immunology
Division, 1 from Pediatric Rheumatology, 3 from the Basic Science
Departments of Pathology, Molecular Biology and Microbiology, and 1
from the Division of Clinical Care Research. The participation of
faculty members and trainees from Adult and Pediatric Rheumatology and
Basic Science Departments offers a training opportunity in infection
and immunity related to rheumatic diseases.

Thesaurus Terms:

There are no thesaurus terms on file for this project.

Institution: NEW ENGLAND MEDICAL CENTER HOSPITALS
750 WASHINGTON ST
BOSTON, MA 021111533
Fiscal Year: 2001
Department:
Project Start: 01-JUL-1991
Project End: 30-APR-2006
ICD: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ARTHRITIS AND MUSCULOSKELETAL AND SKIN
DISEASES
IRG: AMS



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Grant Number: 5R03TW000514-03
PI Name: STEERE, ALLEN C.
PI Title: CHIEF
Project Title: LYME BORRELIOSIS IN RUSSIA

Abstract: DESCRIPTION (adapted from investigator's abstract): The
specific aims of the parent grant are to describe the clinical
manifestations of Lyme Disease in patients in New England, to develop
specific diagnostic tests, and to determine appropriate treatment
regimens for the illness. Since 1986, Dr. Steere, the Principal
Investigator of the parent grant, has participated in a cooperative
exchange with physicians at the Rheumatology Institute in Moscow under
the auspices of the U.S.-U.S.S.R. Biological Health Agreement. It is
now known that a considerable portion of the worldwide nosoarea of Lyme
borreliosis is situated within the former Soviet Union. The infection
there may be caused by any of the three currently identified groups of
the B. burgdorferi sensu latu complex, including B. burgdorferi sensu
stricto, B. garinii, and B. afzelii. However, the characteristics of
the disease, particularly the late manifestations of the illness, are
incompletely described in Russia, and for the most part, accurate
diagnostic testing is not yet available there. In the proposed study,
the clinical manifestations of Lyme borreliosis in Russian patients
will be described based on a referral network of patients seen at the
Rheumatology and Neurology Institutes in Moscow, and patients seen at
the Lyme Disease Center at Ekaterinburg, a highly endemic area in the
Ural Mountains, about 1,000 miles east of Moscow. A Lyme disease
diagnostic laboratory will be developed in Moscow, and sensitive and
specific diagnostic criteria for ELISA and Western blotting tests will
be developed, based on Russian case and control subjects. Skin biopsy
samples of erythema migrans skin lesions will be cultured, and joint
fluid and cerebrospinal fluid samples will be tested by PCR in an
effort to identify the groups of the B. borrelia burgdorferi sensu latu
complex which cause this infection in Russia. Finally, the clinical
data will be correlated with the laboratory information in an attempt
to determine whether particular spirochetal groups cause different
clinical pictures with different serologic responses in Russia. These
studies are important both to understand variations of this infection
in different parts of the world and to aid in the diagnosis and
treatment of Russian patients with this curable infection.

Thesaurus Terms:
Commonwealth of Independent States, Lyme disease, communicable disease
diagnosis, diagnosis design /evaluation
T lymphocyte, cooperative study, leukocyte activation /transformation,
tick
biopsy, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, human subject, polymerase
chain reaction, serology /serodiagnosis, tissue /cell culture, western
blotting

Institution: NEW ENGLAND MEDICAL CENTER HOSPITALS
750 WASHINGTON ST
BOSTON, MA 021111533
Fiscal Year: 1997
Department:
Project Start: 30-SEP-1995
Project End: 29-SEP-1999
ICD: FOGARTY INTERNATIONAL CENTER
IRG: ICP

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