Katherine Forsyth from the University of Pennsylvania is among 10 rare disease researchers to be awarded a grant at Uplifting Athletes’ Young Investigator Draft on Jan. 31 at Lincoln Financial Field
Philadelphia, PA (December 15, 2025) — Uplifting Athletes, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the rare disease community, and Castleman Disease Collaborative Network (CDCN), a nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of Castleman disease patients, have announced that they are awarding University of Pennsylvania’s Katherine Forsyth a $20,000 research grant as a member of Uplifting Athletes’ 2026 Young Investigator Draft Class. The Research Program will advance understanding of the immune signaling abnormalities driving idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease and identify new targets for improved diagnosis and treatment and will be carried out in the lab of David Fajgenbaum.
Katherine is among a group of 10 researchers who will each receive a grant at the Uplifting Athletes’ Young Investigator Draft on January 31, 2026, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Uplifting Athletes is a nonprofit organization that impacts the rare disease community through connections to sports and engaging athletes to generate awareness, inspire hope, and raise funds to support the approximately 1 in 10 Americans impacted by rare diseases. Over $1.2 million in grants have been awarded throughout the program’s history.
The Castleman Disease Collaborative Network (CDCN) is dedicated to accelerating research and treatment for Castleman disease, supporting patients on their journeys, and revolutionizing biomedical research for countless other diseases.
The Young Investigator Draft is inspired by the NFL Draft but shifts the focus from selecting potential talent on the football field to recognizing the next generation of promising young medical researchers in rare diseases. It is one of several signature initiatives created by Uplifting Athletes to raise awareness and research funding for rare diseases, which affect approximately 30 million individuals in the United States.
“Research funding is critical to advancing discovery of critical treatments and improving outcomes for people impacted by rare diseases who need it most. We are thrilled to partner with 10 patient advocacy organizations, and we are overjoyed to celebrate the 2026 Draft class,” said Brett Brackett, President of Uplifting Athletes. “These world class researchers represent so much promise for tomorrow, and we are honored to have them on our team.”
“Dr. Forsyth represents exactly the kind of investigator patients are counting on — scientifically rigorous, deeply collaborative, and relentlessly focused on translating discovery into impact,” said Madison Ahearn, Director of Programming and Operations at the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network. “Her work addresses fundamental unanswered questions in our understanding of Castleman disease and has real potential to improve diagnosis and treatment. We are incredibly proud to nominate Katherine and to partner with Uplifting Athletes in supporting the next generation of rare disease researchers.”
Grant submissions for the Young Investigator Draft are evaluated by an expert panel of scientific advisors prior to the selection of each year’s Draft Class. Every researcher is nominated by a patient advocacy organization (PAO) recognized by Uplifting Athletes as a priority partner, with grants equally co-funded by Uplifting Athletes and the nominating PAO. Katherine Forsyth was nominated by Castleman Disease Collaborative Network (CDCN).
About Katherine Forsyth’s Research
Idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD) is a rare and serious immune disorder that causes multiple lymph nodes throughout the body to become enlarged and triggers dangerous episodes of inflammation that can damage organs like the kidneys, lungs, and liver. Diagnosing iMCD is especially difficult because there is no specific blood test or biomarker for the disease. Instead, diagnosis depends heavily on examining lymph node tissue under a microscope, which requires highly specialized expertise. Treatment options are limited, and while the FDA-approved drug siltuximab can be effective, it only works in about 34–50% of patients, leaving many without reliable treatment.
This research aims to better understand what is going wrong inside the lymph nodes of people with iMCD. Early findings show that an important immune signaling protein, STAT3, is activated but appears in the wrong location within immune cells, particularly in structures called germinal centers that help regulate immune responses. This abnormal signaling may be a key driver of disease and could explain why some patients do not respond to current treatments. By studying how this faulty signaling occurs and whether related immune pathways are also involved, researchers hope to identify new diagnostic features and support the development of targeted therapies—such as JAK inhibitors like ruxolitinib—that could offer new options for patients with difficult-to-treat disease.
Event Details
The 2026 Young Investigator Draft audience will include student-athlete leaders from Uplifting Athletes’ collegiate chapters across the country, notable professional athletes, biopharmaceutical representatives, healthcare professionals, and those directly impacted by rare diseases and their families. The Young Investigator Draft is family-friendly, and VIP tickets include a special behind-the-scenes tour of the Eagles’ stadium.
For more information or to purchase tickets for the Uplifting Athletes 2026 Young Investigator Draft, please visit https://charity.pledgeit.org/YID2026.
About Uplifting Athletes
Uplifting Athletes is a nonprofit organization founded in 2007 that harnesses the power of sport to build a community that invests in the lives of the more than 30 million people impacted by rare diseases in America. Since its inception, Uplifting Athletes has raised more than $12 million by engaging athletes to positively impact the rare disease community through driving action, awareness, and funding research. To learn more about Uplifting Athletes, visit www.upliftingathletes.org.