Rheumatology Fellowship Research

Research opportunities are available in areas of immunology, biochemistry, and clinical trials. Fellows may undertake projects in association with faculty throughout the Mount Sinai Health System, which are described in further detail here.

Each spring, the Department of Medicine hosts its Annual Housestaff Research Day to showcase the collaborative research efforts between faculty and trainees. All Medicine Housestaff members who are pursuing basic or clinical research submit an abstract and present their work on posters. Participants present their work to the Research Day Advisory Committee, consisting of interdisciplinary faculty as well as colleagues and other members of the academic community and administration. During the day’s festivities, a keynote lecture is given, and members of the house staff are pre-selected by the Research Day Advisory Committee to give oral presentations.

Clinical research endeavors currently underway in the Division of Rheumatology include:

Breakfree-1: A Study of CC-97540, CD19-Targeted Nex-T CAR T Cells, in Participants With Severe, Refractory Autoimmune Diseases

A multicenter, international phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an autologous CD19-targeted CAR T cell therapy in participants with systemic lupus, scleroderma, or inflammatory myopathy

Breakfree-SLE: A Study of CC-97540 (BMS-986353 or Zola-cel), CD19-Targeted NEX-T CAR T Cells, in Participants With Active SLE Despite Immunosuppressants

A multicenter, international phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an autologous CD19-targeted CAR T cell therapy in participants with treatment-resistant systemic lupus

LATTE Study: Alnuctamab for Refractory SLE

Investigator initiated phase 1 study evaluating the safety and efficacy of alnuctamab (TCE) for the treatment of moderate to severe, refractory lupus. We have connected with the Human Immune Monitoring Center to complete deep immune profiling for patients enrolled in the LATTE trial.

RESOLUTION: A Study to Investigate the Safety and Preliminary Efficacy of ALLO-329, an Allogeneic CAR T-Cell Therapy, in Adults with Autoimmune Disease

A multicenter phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an allogeneic CD19/CD70-targeted CAR T cell therapy in participants with systemic lupus, scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory myopathy

KITE-363: A Study of Kite-363 in Participants With Refractory Autoimmune Diseases

A multicenter, international phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an autologous CD19/CD20-targeted CAR T cell therapy in participants with systemic lupus, scleroderma, or inflammatory myopathy

There are additional clinical research opportunities through the Mount Sinai Lupus Program, established in 2023 by Chrisanna Dobrowolski, MD, Assistant Professor, Medicine (Rheumatology), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. This program provides specialized and comprehensive care for patients living with SLE in conjunction with a multidisciplinary team, including from Psychiatry and Complex Family Planning. This program also encompasses the Mount Sinai Lupus Cohort Study (registry and biorepository). Current areas of focus for the cohort include the use of wearable devices measuring physical activity, sleep quality and the bidirectional effects on immune dysregulation and disease activity, as well as cognitive health and quality of life. 

Our fellows are also able to contribute to much-needed research in fibromyalgia where effective, cost-effective treatments are lacking. To address this unmet need, Michael Kaplan, MD, Assistant Professor, Medicine (Rheumatology), Icahn School of Medicine, established a multidisciplinary program at Mount Sinai, both as a resource for patients and a platform for innovative research.

VIPR: Vestibular Innovation in Pain 2

Preliminary data suggests that vestibulocortical stimulation (VCS), or irrigating the external ear canal with temperate water, could rapidly improve pain and quality of life in participants with fibromyalgia. The VIPR trial will assess the efficacy of a single session of VCS, relative to sham, in treating pain and improving quality of life, using validated patient-reported outcomes.

The groundbreaking Mount Sinai Cellular Therapy Program for Autoimmune Disease is led by Margrit Wiesendanger, MD, PhD, Chrisanna Dobrowolski, MD, MS, Jacques Azzi, MD, and Gurbakhash Kaur, MD, with support from both the Department of Medicine Clinical Trials Office and the Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center. This program brings chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy (CAR T) and bispecific T cell engager (TCE) treatments to those with severe, refractory autoimmune diseases, with a focus on systemic lupus, systemic sclerosis, Sjogren disease, and idiopathic inflammatory myopathy. The Cellular Therapy Program is closely aligned with the Marc and Jennifer Lipschultz Precision Immunology Institute and Human Immune Monitoring Center at Mount Sinai. As part of this effort, we established the very first joint Rheumatology-Hematology interdisciplinary clinic in April 2026.

Additional research collaborations are possible through the Inflammatory Bowel Disease-Arthritis (IBD-ART clinic) which was established in 2023 as a specialized interdisciplinary clinic within the Susan and Leonard Feinstein Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Center at Mount Sinai. Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of either Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis and additional symptoms of extraintestinal disease are jointly evaluated by, Abhik Bhattacharya, MD, a gastroenterologist, Margrit Wiesendanger, MD, PhD, a rheumatologist, and Ahuva Cices, MD, a dermatologist. This cohort is part of a multi-institutional consortium and has also formed the nucleus for translational studies of mucosal immunity, in collaboration with Saurabh Mehandru, MD, and his team.

The Rheumatology-Interstitial Lung Disease Clinic, which was established in 2018 as an interdisciplinary clinic within the Pulmonary Fibrosis-ILD Program of the Division of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine directed by Maria Padilla, MD, provides another avenue for collaborative research. Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of interstitial lung disease are jointly evaluated by their treating pulmonologist and Umaima Dhamrah, MBBS, from the Division of Rheumatology.  This collaboration has spawned research on interstitial pneumonitis with autoimmune features (IPAF) and formed the basis for clinical studies, including:

VERANDA-SSC: A Study to Test Whether Nerandomilast Helps People With Systemic Sclerosis

A multicenter, international phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of nerandomilast, a preferential inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 4B (PDE4B) with both antifibrotic and anti-inflammatory properties, in participants systemic sclerosis.

 

Fellows may also choose research training opportunities in the Department of Medicine and the Icahn School of Medicine.