Summer '25 Gina M. Finzi Fellows: New Research Champions Emerge

Each year, the Lupus Foundation of America awards the Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship to help support graduate and medical students conducting lupus. By guiding these young scientists, the program aims to increase understanding of lupus and facilitate the development of better treatments.

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Grace Crossland at Dartmouth College studies mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells in cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), which causes painful skin lesions affecting most lupus patients. MAIT cells protect and repair skin, but are reduced in lupus, worsening symptoms. Using mouse models, Crossland looks at how stimulating MAIT cells may promote healing and increase regulatory T cells, which control inflammation.

Vanessa Estrada from Michigan State University is studying how omega-3 fatty acids, commonly found in foods like fish oil, might help people with lupus. In lupus, the immune system attacks healthy tissue, causing inflammation and damage throughout the body. One reason for this overactive immune response is a process called DNA methylation, which helps turn genes on or off. In lupus patients, certain immune-related genes show reduced methylation, meaning they stay too active. Using both lupus-prone and healthy mice, she’s testing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a type of omega-3 acid, to see if it can restore methylation levels in these genes and help calm the immune system.

Rohan Gupta at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is exploring a potential way to treat brain-related symptoms of lupus. In some patients, lupus can lead to neuropsychiatric lupus, which can trigger memory problems, confusion, depression, and other cognitive symptoms. Gupta is studying a protein called the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), which helps regulate the immune system. His project tests whether combining an AHR stimulator with captopril, a common blood pressure medication, can improve behavior and brain function in mice with neuropsychiatric lupus.

Jerik Leung from Emory University is studying how cultural beliefs impact the way black women manage lupus, as the disease disproportionately affects this demographic. One belief he focuses on is the “Superwoman Schema” (SWS), a cultural expectation that encourages Black women to be self-reliant and prioritize others over themselves. While this mindset can promote resilience, it could also discourage women from seeking help or prioritizing their own health. To better understand this, Leung uses a method called photovoice, where participants share personal photos and stories about living with lupus.

Sara Smith at the UCSF is researching lupus nephritis, a complication of lupus that causes inflammation in the kidneys and can lead to long-term damage or kidney failure. To better understand why this condition develops, Smith uses a method called Multi-Omic Factor Analysis, which combines many types of biological data, such as DNA changes and single-cell sequencing, with patient medical records. She also looks at how social and environmental factors, like income, neighborhood, or access to care, might influence disease severity.

Emma Welter from the University of Pennsylvania is investigating why lupus affects women far more often than men. One possible explanation lies in the X chromosomes, as males have one X chromosome, females have two, and one of them is usually “turned off” to balance gene activity. But in lupus, this X-inactivation process may not work properly, leading to drastic immune responses. Welter studies how this affects gene expression and DNA methylation in immune cells from lupus-like disease models. She focuses on a specific type of immune cell called age-associated B cells, which are known to play a role in autoimmunity.

Jin Xuan Zhou at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children is researching childhood-onset lupus, a form of lupus that begins in children and teens and often leads to cognitive difficulties. To better understand how lupus affects the brain, Jin uses diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a specialized type of MRI that maps the brain’s wiring and detects subtle changes in brain structure. By comparing brain scans of children with lupus to those of healthy children and measuring how quickly they can process information, Jin aims to find measurable brain changes that are linked to cognitive problems.

These scientists represent the future of lupus research. Their projects, ranging from immune cells and genetics to health disparities and brain imaging, are expanding knowledge and opening new treatment possibilities. Supported by the Lupus Foundation of America, these young researchers are helping to build a future where lupus is better understood and more effectively treated.

Summer 2025 Gina M. Finzi Fellows | Lupus Foundation of America

Defining a Protective Role for Mucosal-associated Invariant T (MAIT) Cells in Spontaneous Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus | American College of Rheumatology

2025 University Undergraduate Research & Arts Forum | Michigan State University

Lupus Foundation of America Awards Summer Fellowship Grants to Seven Young Scientists Advancing Lupus Research | Lupus Foundation of America