Pittsburgh Autoimmunity Center of Excellence in Rheumatology (PACER)

Director: Dr. Sarah Gaffen, Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology

Steering committee: Drs. Partha Biswas (Associate Professor, Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology), Robert Lafyatis (Professor, Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology), Larry Kane (Professor, Department of Immunology),  Dana Ascherman (Chief, Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology) and Dr. Amr Sawalha (Chief, Department of Pediatric Rheumatology).

Mission: To bring together and leverage the expertise of diverse researchers studying the fundamental biology of autoimmunity and related inflammatory and fibrotic immunopathology.

PACER will provide a platform to promote interactions among individuals working in Rheumatology and related areas, with the goal of raising research to the next level by facilitating innovative research initiatives and collaborative grants/projects. The PACER will, in this capacity, provide an infrastructure that will better attract and recruit top talent working in this research space. To accomplish this, members of PACER will conduct regular formal research meetings to share ongoing research as well as develop concepts for proposals, with the goal of being poised to take advantage of grant opportunities as they arise. PACER will have a mechanism to provide resources on a competitive basis for pilot projects, innovative assay/technique development or other initiatives within the Center’s purview that are considered likely to lead directly to future funding or commercialization. Collectively, PACER will enable members to be more forward-thinking, innovative, and well-positioned to take advantage of new funding opportunities and leverage intellectual property.