SARCOIDOSIS RESEARCH AND BIG PROJECTS HUB

Members of the British Lung Foundation Scientific Committee voting on the SarcoidosisUK-BLF Sarcoidosis Research Grant 2019, May 2019. SarcoidosisUK representatives can be seen at the back of the picture. 

Sarcoidosis is a rare and often misunderstood disease that does not receive sufficient attention from pharmaceutical companies or medical researchers. Therefore research into sarcoidosis is limited. SarcoidosisUK are changing this.

SarcoidosisUK may be small but we are a leading investor in sarcoidosis research. We work hard to raise sufficient money to fund major sarcoidosis research projects, and with your help will continue to do so.

Up until 2021 we have conducted the majority of our research in partnership with the British Lung Foundation (BLF) who have doubled our research budget. This has been an invaluable partnership that has allowed us to ensure greater efficiency and maximise our investment, funding projects that otherwise would not have been possible.

The BLF’s research strategy has recently seen a shift in focus – having merged with AsthmaUK, the research that they will be funding going forward will centre on lung disease as a whole, rather than projects specific to rare diseases such as sarcoidosis. We will therefore no longer be funding research in partnership with the BLF.

In the last few years SarcoidosisUK has been fortunate to see significant growth, largely thanks to the incredible generosity of our supporters. We are now in a position to be able to fund our own research projects without relying on the financial support of the BLF, and are in the process of setting up a SarcoidosisUK Research Committee. Given our previous relationship with the BLF, our research to date has been largely focused on pulmonary sarcoidosis, however SarcoidosisUK recognises that research is also needed into the other manifestations of the disease. The new Research Committee that we set up will allow SarcoidosisUK to manage our own research grants application process and expand the range of sarcoidosis research projects we invest in, ensuring that we will be helping to make a difference to the sarcoidosis community at large.

We are extremely excited about this new development and look forward to bringing you updates about the Research Committee over the course of the year. Our commitment as a charity remains to provide the highest level of support and information to the sarcoidosis community, whilst raising awareness on a national level and investing in more world-leading research.

We receive no government funding – none of our research would be possible without your generous donations. With your support, SarcoidosisUK will continue fighting sarcoidosis.