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Announcements for 2002

December 2002 (historical)

NIAMS' Lipsky Receives Prestigious Howley Award

By Elizabeth Freedman

Dr. Peter Lipsky, scientific director at NIAMS, was recently awarded the Lee C. Howley, Sr., Prize for Arthritis Research. The Arthritis Foundation award recognizes researchers whose contributions during the previous five years have represented a significant advance in the understanding, treatment or prevention of arthritis and rheumatic diseases.

Dr. Lipsky, a world-renowned researcher and immunologist, has taken a leadership role in the development of new biological agents for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. At the University of Texas Southwestern, Dr. Lipsky was the principal investigator for a multicenter trial of anti- tumor necrosis factor therapy (infliximab) for rheumatoid arthritis. This anti-TNF therapy blocks tumor necrosis factor, a component of the immune system that triggers the inflammatory response in rheumatoid arthritis. Dr. Lipsky was also the principal investigator and first author on the seminal paper in the New England Journal of Medicine on the effects of TNF blockers, and has since published more than 400 times. This research was critical in changing the paradigm for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and in emphasizing the need for early aggressive disease management.

Additionally, Dr. Lipsky has published landmark papers on mechanisms of immune cell activation, T cell macrophage interactions, and the role of B cells in systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjogren's syndrome, among others.

As a leader of the worldwide immunology and rheumatology communities, Dr. Lipsky has contributed in countless capacities. His leadership roles include president of the Clinical Immunology Society, editor of the prestigious Journal of Immunology, past member of the Board of Scientific Counselors and the Advisory Council of NIAMS, and current member of the Board of Directors of the American College of Rheumatology. Most recently, Dr. Lipsky received the Distinguished Investigator Award at the 2002 national conference of the American College of Rheumatology.

As scientific director of NIAMS, Dr. Lipsky continues to lead research efforts into the causes, development, and treatments for rheumatic diseases, and disorders of muscle, bone, joints and skin.