Our Research

At the SRF, research is at the center of all we do to find a cure. The Scleroderma Research Foundation is America’s largest nonprofit investor in scleroderma research and devotes a greater percentage of its annual budget to scleroderma research than any other nonprofit organization. As of 2025, we have invested over $62M directly to research.

We fund a diverse portfolio of core research projects in addition to larger-scale collaborations, all aimed at understanding scleroderma pathogenesis and potential ways to intervene therapeutically.

Our World-Renowned Scientific Advisors Guide the Way.

Meet our Scientific Advisory Board

These world-renowned researchers freely give their time and insights to guide the SRF’s research program, evaluate research proposals, and make funding recommendations.

Meet The Scientific Advisory Board

Core Research Portfolio

At the core of our research program are funded grants that do more than support individual projects; they build a community of exceptional scientists, whose collective insight moves scleroderma research forward in ways no single investigator could alone.

Led by our Scientific Advisory Board, the SRF actively seeks out and recruits experts from the fields of rheumatology, immunology, genetics, and fibrosis, as well as experts in cutting-edge technologies to join the scleroderma research community.

Currently Funded Investigators

When evaluating research applications for funding, we consider the investigator’s potential contributions to the SRF research program with questions such as: does the investigator have the appropriate skills and background to accomplish the project goals? Will this investigator add to our community through collaboration and generous sharing of ideas or resources?

Currently Funded Projects

Each year, the SRF receives and evaluates many applications for projects aimed at all facets of scleroderma research. Our Scientific Advisory Board asks probing questions about every project’s ability to deliver insights, answer questions, or better target therapies before considering projects for future funding.

Science Workshop

All applicants, whether new or seeking continued funding, present their projects to the SRF’s Scientific Advisory Board and other attendees at the annual SRF Workshop. There, assumptions are challenged, the project’s relevance and limitations are probed, and constructive criticism and collaborative discussion ensues.

Apply for a Grant

The Scleroderma Research Foundation funds research aimed at understanding the pathogenesis of scleroderma and promoting the design, development, and pilot-testing of hypothesis-driven, innovative, therapeutic approaches.

Large Scale Research Collaborations

In recent years, in addition to its core research portfolio, the Scleroderma Research Foundation has led the formation of large-scale projects aimed at accelerating scleroderma research.

CONQUER Registry

The CONQUER Registry is the first nationwide longitudinal registry for scleroderma patients in the United States. Led by the SRF and a group of clinicians from twenty major academic centers, this transformative endeavor was launched in 2018.

CONQUEST Clinical Trials

Based on a model first created over a decade ago to accelerate oncology drug development, CONQUEST is an international, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 platform clinical trial, and is the first of its kind in rare autoimmune diseases.

GRASP Project

The GRASP Project is a collaboration among the National Human Genome Research Institute at the NIH and 23 U.S. scleroderma centers and clinics aimed at discovering genetic variations that may underlie the more common and often more severe scleroderma found in the African-American population.

Building the connections that move science forward

Our reach extends well beyond U.S. borders. We partner with the Scleroderma Clinical Trial Consortium to fund promising projects internationally, and we sponsor the International Workshop in Scleroderma Research, a gathering where the world’s leading scleroderma researchers convene to exchange findings and advance the field. We also participate in conferences such as the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting, ensuring scleroderma remains visible across disciplines.

Published Research Supported by the SRF

Read peer-reviewed publications connected to SRF-supported research and discover how these findings are advancing the field.

This growing list of published research is connected to the SRF Research Program—including studies citing support by the SRF, as well as research using SRF-funded resources such as the CONQUER registry. The publications below represent progress toward better treatments and outcomes for people living with scleroderma.