Friday, April 27, 2007

Schanberg receives Mandel Established Investigator Award
by Julie McKeel

Laura Schanberg

The DCRI's Dr. Laura Schanberg, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and co-chair of the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, has been chosen to be the first recipient of the Edna and Fred L. Mandel, Jr., Center for Hypertension and Atherosclerosis Research Established Investigator Award.

Dr. Schanberg’s proposal "Understanding Inflammation and Premature Atherosclerosis in Pediatric SLE" will be funded to analyze the secondary endpoints in the APPLE (Atherosclerosis Prevention in Pediatric Lupus Erythematosus Study) study. APPLE is an interventional study to test the safety and efficacy of a lipid-lowering agent, atorvastatin, in reducing the progression of carotid intima media thickening (IMT) in early childhood systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). It is sponsored by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIH) in partnership with the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA).

The APPLE study is the first large scale placebo controlled randomized controlled trial in pediatric SLE having enrolled 221 children from 21 sites in North America. Once complete, it will be the longest trial of a statin done in children and the largest prospective database of children with lupus. Funding from the Mandel center will allow us to fully explore the relationships between inflammation, disease activity, dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis in the APPLE cohort at baseline and longitudinally to provide important information concerning cardiovascular disease prevention in children and adults with SLE.

As the recipient of this $100,000 Mandel award, Dr. Schanberg will participate in the monthly Center seminars and conferences. She will also present to the Center members in a lab update once a year and participate in the annual retreat.

The Edna and Fred L. Mandel Jr. Center for Hypertension and Atherosclerosis is a national center for research into the causes and treatments of atherosclerosis and hypertension. The Center supports research of senior scientists and provides funds to jumpstart the careers of promising and talented young investigators in these areas of medical research. The Center holds open monthly seminars at Duke, which provide an opportunity to invite hypertension and atherosclerosis researchers at Duke or from other medical centers to speak and interact with faculty and students. These monthly seminars, with a focus on interaction among scientists, help to create a community of scientists from related fields interested in atherosclerosis or hypertension.