FAIR Research Award 2023

As a result of the success of funding efforts, FAIR was fortunate to be able to offer a third  research award in addition to the two advertised awards.

The sum of £20,000 is awarded to Dr Charalampia Papadopoulou and Dr Meredyth Wilkinson based at the Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health for their research into Sleep disturbances and Fatigue in children with Juvenile Dermatomyositis (JDM) and how this correlates to disease pathology.

Sleep disturbance is often seen in rheumatological disease and may contribute to the fatigue seen in many of these conditions.  Juvenile Dermatomyositis (JDM) is a rare childhood autoimmune disease presenting with muscle weakness and skin changes.  In JDM the frequency of sleep disorders and fatigue as well as the contributing factors to their occurrence remain poorly understood and under-researched.  Sleep alterations in JDM have been associated with steroid treatment and disease markers in the blood.  Experts in JDM have agreed that fatigue and sleep quality is a research priority as suggested also by parent and patient groups.

The project will contribute to worldwide academic advancement to address the important issues of the fatigue and sleep disturbances relating to inflammatory disease globally.

Dr Papadopoulou is an internationally respected expert in the field of juvenile dermatomyositis research and clinical care.

The application was supported by:

Brian Feldman MD, MSC, FRCPC, Honorary Family Chair in Autoimmune Diseases, Professor, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Institute of Health at the University of Toronto;

Lucy R Wedderburn, Professor and Consultant of Paediatric Rheumatology at Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust.

The duration of the study is 2 years.