Aileen Y. Chang, MD, MSPH, FACP, associate professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences received the 2023 Innovative Research Award from the Rheumatology Research Foundation for her research project titled, Determination of the Human Mechanisms of Interleukin-2 Therapy for Chronic Post-Chikungunya Viral Arthritis.
The two-year grant provides independent investigators the funding they need to pursue ideas that could lead to important breakthroughs in discovering new treatments for rheumatic diseases.
The study promises to provide a mechanism for a novel therapy for the more than 2 million people annually affected by chikungunya virus, while gathering valuable preclinical data to move this therapy forward into clinical trials. Chang and her research team will define for the first time the human mechanisms of interleukin-2 therapies in chronic arthritis caused by chikungunya virus.
“These important studies will help us to better understand how interleukin-2 works in the treatment of viral arthritis,” said Chang. “Specifically, we will learn what formulations of interleukin-2 therapies might be most helpful and identify the optimal biological markers to measure improvement in a future clinical trial.
Chikungunya is an alphavirus spread by mosquitos that are endemic to the United States. The arthritic potential of chikungunya is not unique; other alphaviruses such as Mayaro, Sinbis, Ross River, and O’nyong’nyong also cause severe arthritis. Currently there is no standard evidence-based treatment available for any alphavirus-induced arthritis. Chang’s work may provide insights into the mechanisms and potential utility of novel low-dose interleukin-2 therapies for chikungunya viral arthritis and perhaps other types of viral arthritis as well.