A few months before Army Major Toni Grimes was set to deploy to Iraq in 2007, she woke up short of breath and barely able to talk. Toni had been diagnosed with lupus, which eventually got worse, ultimately causing her to retire from the military after more than 19 years.

The Department of Defense has an interest in funding lupus research because veterans and military members, especially women of color, are more likely to have lupus than the general public — possibly because they’re exposed to toxic chemicals, stress and PTSD.

BRI’s Karen Cerosaletti, PhD, and Adam Lacy-Hulbert, PhD have been awarded U.S. Department of Defense funds to study genes that play a role in lupus. With this research, BRI scientists hope to gain insights that can help improve lupus treatments for the general public as well as veterans and military members.

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