Grupo Latino Americano De Estudio de Lupus

What Grupo Latino Americano De Estudio de Lupus does

GLADEL (Grupo Latino Americano De Estudio de Lupus) is a non-profit Pan-American research consortium founded in 1997 in Mexico City and headquartered in Montevideo, Uruguay. It operates as a consensus-based network of more than 50 rheumatology research centers across more than 12 Latin American countries, conducting multiethnic, multicenter studies on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The consortium maintains two principal research assets: the original GLADEL inception cohort established in 1997 with more than 1,400 enrolled SLE patients, and GLADEL 2.0, launched in 2019, which has enrolled 2,133 individuals (1,083 SLE patients and 1,050 matched healthy controls) across 43 centers in 10 countries with over 500 clinical variables and centralized biomarker, urinary, and transcriptome analyses.

Its product portfolio extends beyond the core cohorts to include the GLA-GenLES genetics consortium (genome-wide association studies in American Indian-European SLE patients), the Pro&Pub research support program offering $2,500 USD grants with mentoring and statistical support, the GLADEL-Edu clinician education program, the Let's Talk About Lupus / Hablemos de Lupus / Falando de Lupus patient education initiative, and the newly established GLADEL Pediatric Group for childhood lupus. The underlying technology platform is ARTHROS, a purpose-built database software developed for the GLADEL cohort that enabled structured data capture and email-based information exchange among participating centers after training.

GLADEL does not generate commercial revenue. Its operating model is funded through unrestricted educational grants from pharmaceutical companies (GSK, UCB, Janssen), medical association contributions (PANLAR, ILAR), and material and in-kind contributions from member institutions. Governance is by consensus among equals, led by President Bernardo A. Pons-Estel and an Executive Committee of rheumatologists from across Latin America. The consortium holds formal positions in PANLAR (as the official Lupus Study Group since 2002), SLICC (since 2017), and DORIS (since 2018), and has produced more than 90 peer-reviewed publications, including foundational work on antimalarial use and consensus treatment guidelines for lupus in Latin America.

Name

Grupo Latino Americano De Estudio de Lupus

Legal name

Grupo Latino Americano De Estudio del Lupus

Website

https://gladel.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

GLADEL is a non-profit Pan-American research consortium of 50+ rheumatology centers across 12+ Latin American countries, conducting multiethnic lupus studies, maintaining inception cohorts of 1,400+ patients, and delivering clinician and patient education programs funded by pharmaceutical and medical society grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical / Clinical Research Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGACAA

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Health & Medical Nonprofits

SECONDARYHLAJAKAN

Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Global Health & Development Agencies (NGOs/Multilaterals)

Keywords

• Lupus research consortium
• Clinical research network
• Rheumatology research programs
• Biomarker research studies
• Patient education initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Buenos Aires

HQ country

Argentina

HQ region

Latin America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Unrestricted Educational Grants: GLADEL receives funding through unrestricted educational grants from pharmaceutical companies including GSK and UCB for guidelines development, and Janssen for cohort studies. PANLAR has also provided funding for database adaptation and program sustainability.
2. Member Contributions: Material and in-kind contributions by GLADEL members have been key to conceptualize, develop and sustain the GLADEL cohort.
3. ILAR and GSK Patient Education Funding: ILAR and GSK provided financial support to Emory University, which partnered with GLADEL to develop and implement the 'Hablemos de Lupus' patient education program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

GLADEL is a non-profit research consortium that runs multicenter clinical studies on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) across more than 50 rheumatology research centers in over 12 Latin American countries. Its core deliverables are longitudinal patient cohorts (original inception cohort and GLADEL 2.0), peer-reviewed publications, treatment guidelines for the region, clinician and patient education programs, and a small-grant research support program (Pro&Pub). Funding comes primarily from unrestricted educational grants provided by pharmaceutical companies and rheumatology associations.

Product overview

Grupo Latino Americano De Estudio de Lupus (GLADEL) is a Latin American research initiative focused on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), operating as a network of over 50 rheumatology research centers across 12+ Latin American countries. The organization operates as a platform of interconnected research programs: the GLADEL Original Cohort (established 1997) serves as the foundational inception cohort; GLADEL 2.0 Cohort (2019) provides an expanded multiethnic registry with biomarker and transcriptome analysis; the GLA-GenLES Consortium focuses on genetic research; the Pro&Pub Program supports researcher publications; GLADEL-Edu offers physician education; and the Let's Talk About Lupus initiative provides patient education. GLADEL also includes a dedicated Pediatric Group established in 2025 for childhood lupus research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GLADEL 2.0: A new generation study launched in 2019 that aims to identify subgroups of patients with SLE based on demographic and clinical profile, serum and urinary biomarkers, and transcriptome studies. The cohort includes 2133 individuals from 43 centers in 10 countries.
• Let's Talk About Lupus (Hablemos de Lupus/Falando de Lúpus)
• GLADEL-Edu
• Pro&Pub
• GLA-GenLES Consortium

Products and services

• GLADEL Original Cohort An inception, multiethnic, and multinational lupus cohort established in 1997 with over 1,400 patients, designed to obtain realistic data from SLE patients in Latin America and enhance understanding of lupus within the Latin American community.
• GLADEL 2.0 Cohort A Latin-American registry and multiethnic cohort study launched in 2019 to identify subgroups of patients with SLE based on demographic and clinical profiles, serum and urinary biomarkers, and transcriptome studies. The cohort includes 2,133 individuals (1,083 SLE patients and 1,050 controls) from 43 centers across 10 countries, with over 500 variables and centralized analysis of serological biomarkers, urinary biomarkers, and transcriptome.
• GLA-GenLES Consortium A collaboration within Latin America centers and international researchers with expertise in genetics, aimed at identifying genome-wide associations and examining the relationship between genetic ancestry, sociodemographic characteristics, and clinical features in American Indian-European SLE patients.
• Pro&Pub (Projects and Publications) Program A program developed by GLADEL to stimulate scientific research and publication on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus using data from the GLADEL and GLADEL 2.0 cohorts and educational projects. Provides data access, statistical support, mentoring, and a fee of 2,500 US dollars per research project.
• GLADEL-Edu (GLADEL Education Program) An educational program offering education about lupus to Latin American clinicians and research opportunities to junior Latin American investigators.
• Let's Talk About Lupus (Hablemos de Lupus / Falando de Lupus) An educational initiative for Latin American people with different types of lupus, compiling information on topics and frequently asked questions selected by patients from Latin American countries. Led by Dr. Cristina Drenkard and Dr. Bernardo Pons-Estel.
• GLADEL Pediatric Group A regional platform established in 2025 dedicated to advancing the study of childhood lupus in Latin America, bringing together pediatric rheumatologists from over 16 Latin American countries.

Quantifiable outcome

• 35 seminal publications in peer reviewed journals describing many aspects of SLE in Latin America
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DORIS (Definition of Remission in SLE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018GLADEL was incorporated to DORIS in 2018 via representation of Bernardo A. Pons-Estel. DORIS is a group of researchers working on the Definition of Remission in SLE.
• SLICC (Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017GLADEL was incorporated to SLICC in 2017 via representation of Bernardo A. Pons-Estel. SLICC is an international research organization widely recognized in the world of lupus.
• PANLAR (Pan-American League of Associations of Rheumatology)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002GLADEL became the official PANLAR Study Group for Lupus in 2002. PANLAR provided funding in 2000 to adapt the ARTHROS database and develop the original GLADEL cohort. PANLAR also provided additional funding to sustain the 'Hablemos de Lupus' patient education program.
• Lupus AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGLADEL members participate in the Lupus Academy, an independent medical education initiative led by a group of globally-recognized experts in lupus.
• APS ActionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGLADEL is associated with APS Action through member participation in this antiphospholipid syndrome initiative.
• Emory UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILAR and GSK provided financial support to Emory University, which in partnership with GLADEL developed and implemented an educational program for patients with lupus in Latin America entitled: 'Hablemos de Lupus' / 'Falando de Lupus'. Dr. Cristina Drenkard, Associate Professor at Emory University School of Medicine, co-leads this program.
• ARTHROS (Software)coreTechnology or IntegrationARTHROS Software was used to establish the GLADEL inception cohort. It is a novel program which included a database and the exchange of information via e-mail among participating centers after they had received adequate training.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Lupus Research Alliance: Lupus Research Alliance funds investigator-initiated and consortium-led lupus research globally. It is comparable to GLADEL as a sponsor of multicenter SLE science and a producer of evidence on disease mechanisms and treatment outcomes, though organized as a funder rather than an operational research network.
• Lupus Foundation of America (LFA): LFA is the largest U.S. patient-advocacy and lupus research funding organization. While U.S.-focused rather than Latin American, LFA funds multi-site lupus research and runs extensive patient education programs, making it comparable to GLADEL's combined research + 'Let's Talk About Lupus' education platform in scope and disease focus.

Direct peers

• Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC): SLICC is the leading international lupus research consortium that GLADEL is itself a member of since 2017. Both organizations run multicenter inception cohorts, harmonize clinical datasets, and publish consensus-driven research on SLE prognosis and outcomes, making SLICC GLADEL's closest direct peer in mission and methodology.
• DORIS (Definition of Remission in SLE): DORIS is an international group of SLE researchers defining remission criteria in lupus, with GLADEL incorporated since 2018. Both share a working-group model, consensus-driven methodology, and a focus on defining lupus endpoints that influence global treatment guidelines.

Regional players

• European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR): EULAR is the European equivalent of PANLAR, convening rheumatology research and guideline work across European institutions. It is comparable as a regional framework of rheumatology associations that funds, prioritizes, and disseminates multicenter lupus research in its territory.

Emerging players

• APS Action: APS Action is an international research initiative on antiphospholipid syndrome, closely related to SLE and overlapping with GLADEL's investigator base. It is comparable as a disease-specific international research collaborative mobilizing the same rheumatology community.

Others

• Pan-American League of Associations of Rheumatology (PANLAR): PANLAR is the parent regional rheumatology body under which GLADEL serves as the official Lupus Study Group since 2002. It is comparable as the regional convener that houses and partially funds GLADEL's multicenter research across Latin America.
• American College of Rheumatology (ACR): ACR is the leading U.S. professional society in rheumatology and a producer of clinical practice guidelines. It is comparable as a convener of rheumatology research networks and guideline committees that GLADEL researchers engage with through SLICC, DORIS, and academic publications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gladel_latam
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/gladelchannel
• Facebookfacebook.com/Gladel.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gladel-latinamerica
• Instagraminstagram.com/gladel_latinamerica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Grupo Latino Americano De Estudio de Lupus