Get Involved - You can make a difference

There are many ways to become a partner in the search for improved therapies and a cure for scleroderma. In fact, there is something everyone can do. From making a direct online contribution and supporting the SRF research program to raising awareness in your community by hosting a special event, there’s a way for you to make a difference and help save lives.

Every contribution to the Scleroderma Research Foundation is an investment in the search for answers – helping to fund groundbreaking medical research at leading institutions around the nation and, now, around the world.

The programs of the Scleroderma Research Foundation all revolve around a single objective: to fund and facilitate the highest quality scleroderma research that will yield maximum results. Click here to make a secure online contribution now. All donations to the SRF are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.


Join Cure Crew… Become a Part of the Team!

Getting involved and taking action in the fight for a cure can be powerful antidotes to the challenges of scleroderma. The Crew is growing and we’d love for you to be a part of it!

A growing number of patients, their family members and friends are hosting special events or participating in other organized activities to help raise funds and awareness for scleroderma. These events come in all forms (some aren’t really ‘events’ at all) and, no matter the size, they have a tremendous impact on the SRF’s ability to fund promising research. Last year, volunteers raised more than $250,000 to advance medical research toward a cure. That’s enough money to fund multiple research projects that will help scleroderma patients.

For many years, the SRF referred to these bighearted individuals as Cure Advocates. Advocating for a cure in communities from coast to coast, Cure Advocates compose an entire “Crew” of like-minded volunteers who form a national network of Cure Crew members. In aggregate, Cure Crew members are educating thousands of people about scleroderma. Sometimes, volunteers even partner with local television, radio and print media to feature stories and air public service announcements. For more information on volunteering or to become a Cure Crew member, please click here.


Planned Giving

Planned giving is a way to support the SRF via gifts that leave a lasting legacy. Planned gifts typically use estate and tax planning techniques to provide a benefit to the SRF and other beneficiaries in ways that maximize the gift and/or minimize its impact on the donor's estate.

A planned gift is any major contribution, made during your lifetime or afterward as part of an overall financial and/or estate plan. Whether these gifts include cash, appreciated securities/stock, real estate, artwork, partnership interests, personal property, life insurance, a retirement plan, etc., the benefits of funding a planned gift are often very attractive to both the generous donor, in terms of tax liability, and to the future of scleroderma research. Visit our planned giving section to learn more.

There are many Ways to Give, get involved and help the Scleroderma Research Foundation continue its work to discover improved therapies and a cure for people living with scleroderma.


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Research News

Antagonistic Effect of the Matricellular Signaling Protein CCN3 on TGF-β- and Wnt-Mediated Fibrillinogenesis in Systemic Sclerosis and Marfan Syndrome

Author:Raphael Lemaire, Giuseppina Farina, Julie Bayle, Michael Dimarzio, Sarah A Pendergrass, Ausra Milano, Michael L Whitfield and Robert Lafyatis
Date Published: February-2010
Source: 

Abnormal fibrillinogenesis is associated with connective tissue disorders (CTDs), including Marfan syndrome (MFS), systemic sclerosis (SSc) and Tight-skin (Tsk) mice. We have previously shown that TGF-β and Wnt stimulate fibrillin-1 assembly and that fibrillin-1 and the developmental regulator CCN3 are both highly increased in Tsk skin.

Medical Mystery Pieced Together

Author:
Date Published: January-2010
Source: The Boston Channel.com

A troubling medical puzzle in South Boston has finally been pieced together. A relatively small community has an alarming number of cases of a debilitating disease.

IFN regulatory factor 5 is required for disease development in the FcgammaRIIB-/-Yaa and FcgammaRIIB-/- mouse models of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Author: Richez C, Yasuda K, Bonegio RG, Watkins AA, Aprahamian T, Busto P, Richards RJ, Liu CL, Cheung R, Utz PJ, Marshak-Rothstein A, Rifkin IR.
Date Published: January-2010
Source: Pubmed

Polymorphisms in the transcription factor IFN regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) are strongly associated in human genetic studies with an increased risk of developing the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus.

Th1 transcription factor T-bet regulates the expression of Tim-3.

Author: Anderson AC, Lord GM, Dardalhon V, Lee DH, Sabatos CA, Glimcher LH, Kuchroo VK.
Date Published: January-2010
Source: Pubmed

Tim-3 (T cell immunoglobulin, mucin domain)-3 is a membrane protein expressed at late stages of IFN-gamma secreting CD4(+) T helper type 1 (Th1) cell differentiation and constitutively on dendritic cells (DC).

Rosiglitazone alleviates the persistent fibrotic phenotype of lesional skin scleroderma fibroblasts.

Author: Shi-Wen X, Eastwood M, Stratton RJ, Denton CP, Leask A, Abraham DJ.
Date Published: January-2010
Source: Pubmed

Objective. The transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma plays an important role in controlling cell differentiation.

News for Patients

Alternative Therapies for Raynaud’s

Author: Dr. Fredrick Wigley
Date Published: June-2010
Source: NY Times

Can biofeedback, fish oils, dietary supplements or other remedies ease the feelings of coldness, numbness and tingling in the fingers and toes of people with Raynaud’s disease?

Does Exercise Make Raynaud’s Worse?

Author: Dr. Fredrick Wigley
Date Published: May-2010
Source: NY Times

Can typing on a keyboard make coldness in the fingers feel worse? How about biking or vigorous exercise?

Ask the Expert: Raynaud’s Phenomenon

Author: Dr. Fredrick Wigley
Date Published: April-2010
Source: NY Times

“While it’s normal to feel cold when you step outside on a winter’s day without a jacket, the feeling of cold comes way too easily for sufferers of Raynaud’s,”

How Serious Is Raynaud’s Phenomenon?

Author: Dr. Fredrick Wigley
Date Published: May-2010
Source: NY Times

A troubling medical puzzle in South Boston has finally been pieced together. A relatively small community has an alarming number of cases of a debilitating disease.

Medical Mystery Pieced Together

Author:
Date Published: January-2010
Source: The Boston Channel.com

A troubling medical puzzle in South Boston has finally been pieced together. A relatively small community has an alarming number of cases of a debilitating disease.

Ways to Give

There are many ways that you can support the work of the Scleroderma Research Foundation. We are grateful for your commitment to helping the SRF fund research that will result in improved therapies and, ultimately, a cure.

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