Chan Zuckerberg Initiative - Community Advisory Board

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has awarded Cure JM and a consortium of Cure JM-funded researchers a coveted $2 million rare disease research grant to identify new biomarkers in JM and improve precise, personalized care through the identification of cellular interactions that drive inflammation in juvenile myositis.

Principal investigators for the grant include Jessica Turnier, M.D., at the University of Michigan; Jessica Neely, M.D., at the University of California, San Francisco; and Andrew Heaton, Ph.D., the Chief Scientific Officer at Cure JM. Other collaborators on the grant include Jeff Dvergsten, M.D. from Duke University, and Lauren Pachman, M.D. from Lurie Children’s Hospital. UCSF, Duke University, and Lurie Children’s Hospital serve as Cure JM Centers of Excellence.

About the Research

“The focus of this grant is understanding the role that cell types play in skin, muscle, and blood inflammation to identify new markers and better treatments for JM patients during all phases of the disease,” says Dr. Turnier. “Once we better understand what happens at the cellular level, we may be able to target therapies to those very cells.” 

 

“Cure JM’s role will be to foster collaboration across our Centers of Excellence and Clinical Care Network,” Dr. Heaton adds. “The evaluators were impressed with the breadth of our organization and the importance of engaging a significant number of JM families from diverse backgrounds in this project. We’re thrilled with Chan Zuckerberg’s confidence in Cure JM.”

Principal Investigators

Jessica Neely, M.D.Jessica Neely, M.D.
University of California, San Francisco

Andrew Heaton, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer at Cure JM

Jessica Turnier, M.D.Jessica Turnier, M.D.
University of Michigan

Jeffrey Dvergsten, M.D.Jeff Dvergsten, M.D. 
Duke University

Laura Pachman, M.D. 
Lurie Children’s Hospital

Community Advisory Board Mission

Cure JM’s Community Advisory Board plays a vital role in representing JM families from diverse backgrounds to help support this cutting edge research project. Cure JM CAB members are the link between the greater JM community and the project’s research team, working together to ensure that the needs of the entire JM community are understood and addressed.

Cure JM’s CAB will provide diverse patient perspectives on how research will be executed and how progress is communicated at every stage.

Kara Backo

Dennis Behn

Jaclyn Casey

Allan Chelal

Sophie Cronk

Chyllia Dixon

Erika Harvey

Jada Idokogi, PhD

Meishia Kenney

Allison Korte

Layla Metni

Abby Printz

Rohan Saarang

Todd Scheidt

Terrell Spottsville

Annalise Tereck

Alexis Walker-Connor

Susan Wallace

 

Learn More about the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

CZI supports the science and technology that will make it possible to cure, prevent, or manage all diseases by the end of the 21st century. CZI fosters collaboration between scientists and engineers, develops new technologies, and builds support for basic scientific research.

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative funds scientific research worldwide to advance the frontiers of knowledge. We’ve launched a family of institutes to do research that can’t be done in conventional environments. Each aspect is essential to our approach to building for the long term

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Text

Interested in DIY fundraising but need help?

We’re here to help!

To have your fundraiser matched, add “DIY Match” in the memo of your online gift or check.