A seven-year old girl, who once climbed trees and shimmied up the monkey bars, cannot get out of bed without help and is home-schooled because of juvenile arthritis.

An 18-year old high school senior discovers she can’t walk without crutches, afflicted with a form of rheumatoid arthritis. The disease progressively deteriorates every joint in her body. By age 40, she has exhausted all available physical and drug therapy.

She once swam competitively, but no longer could. Everyday tasks such as grocery shopping required tremendous effort and concentration. Everyday pleasures were dulled by pain. Her family stood by helplessly as she waged a 37-year battle with arthritis, finally succumbing from complications of the disease.

Making Arthritis History

The mission of the Arthritis National Research Foundation (ANRF) is just that: to make arthritis a disease of the past. One in six Americans suffers from this devastating and painful disease.

The cure will likely come from the depths of a university laboratory staffed with brilliant minds and collective talents, people who refuse to believe that arthritis is a life sentence. Today, many research scientists and medical doctors are closer to understanding and finding a cure for arthritis, thanks to ANRF research grants.

Thirty years ago, the ANRF awarded a research grant to a young University of California, Irvine, scientist who harbored “cutting edge” ideas about how arthritis’ destructive tissue reactions occur. Dr. Gale “Morrie” Granger discovered a new molecule known as tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which plays a key role in the inflammatory process. In rheumatoid arthritis, tissue destruction starts in the joints, progresses to other tissues and organs of the body, and can ultimately result in the patient’s death.

Dr. Granger’s TNF research, initially funded by the ANRF, has led the way for the development of new medical treatments that inhibit TNF’s cell destruction and progression of arthritis, thereby easing the pain of arthritis patients.

The ANRF has awarded over 70 grants to deserving scientists like Dr. Granger, scientists with novel ideas on the cutting edge of arthritis research. The search for a cure continues. 95 percent of ANRF grant recipients have continued their career in the field of research. They are still making important contributions. Click here to learn more about the contributions of ANRF grant recipients.

Wouldn’t it be nice if schoolchildren in the year 2020 ask, “What is arthritis?”

The ANRF is working to make arthritis history.