Stoll wins prestigious research award

Matthew Stoll, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of pediatric rheumatology and a pediatric rheumatologist at Children’s of Alabama, has received a Rheumatology Research Foundation Investigator Award. He will be recognized during the 2013 American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals annual meeting in October.

The award provides support for basic science and clinical investigators engaged in research relevant to rheumatic diseases during the period they are developing projects that will compete for NIH funding. Stoll’s research seeks to identify intestinal bacteria present in excessive quantities in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) and to identify abnormal immunity to intestinal bacteria.

“The successful completion of this project will result in identification of bacterial triggers in patients with SpA which will allow us to eliminate the trigger via specifically targeted antibiotic therapy or the introduction of more beneficial bacteria that could out-compete the harmful ones,” Stoll said.

This year, the Rheumatology Research Foundation will fund nearly $14 million in career development awards, disease-targeted research grants and clinical trials to address the growing demand for patient care today while advancing the course of research that will yield tomorrow’s cures. Support for Stoll’s award is provided through the Journey to Cure campaign that funds targeted research for inflammatory arthritis.