Autoimmune disease: More science, less suffering

What you probably already know: Autoimmune disease affects more than 50 million Americans. A staggering 80% are women. Approximately 8% of the U.S. population lives with one of the more than 140 diseases that can be chronic and debilitating (main diseases include Multiple Sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis or type 1 diabetes). Three years ago, Congress directed the National Institutes of Health to establish an Office of Autoimmune Disease Research to coordinate a strategic plan and identify emerging areas of innovation and research. On Oct. 12, hundreds of people came together in Washington, D.C., and around the world to participate in the Hope Journey Walk that raised more than $90,000.

Why it matters: At age 25, Ellen Rudolph was bedridden and “desperate for answers.” Today, the company she co-founded along with sister Claire Rudolph and Wallace Torres — WellTheory — just secured $14 million to expand its personalized, women-led approach to treat autoimmune disease. In the past year, the California-based fully remote company has increased its membership more than tenfold and established partnerships with several major employers. The funding allows it to deepen partnerships with employers and health plans, expand care programs and accelerate AI development. “When I was eventually diagnosed with an autoimmune condition,” Rudolph writes, “I realized just how broken the system was and how many others were being left behind.”

What it means: The National Health Council notes that awareness is increasing because the rising prevalence of autoimmune disease “underscores the urgent need for increased advocacy, awareness, education and research.” Three researchers — Mary E. Brunkow from the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle; Fred Ramsdell of Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco; and Shimon Sakaguchi from Japan’s Osaka University — were just awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their research into peripheral immune tolerance. “Their discoveries have been decisive for our understanding of how the immune system functions and why we do not all develop serious autoimmune diseases,” says Olle Kämpe, chair of the Nobel Committee.

What happens next: Treating autoimmune disease is now a $150 billion-plus market. 7wire Ventures — one of the investors in WellTheory — says autoimmune disease has become a top cost driver for employers and health plans “largely due to specialty drug spend and delayed diagnoses,” adding that autoimmune diseases typically take five years to accurately diagnose. It adds that WellTheory “stands out as the first comprehensive platform focused exclusively on autoimmune care,” calling it a category ripe for innovation. Rudolph, who serves as CEO, notes that her own diagnosis highlighted systemic shortcomings and revealed the extent to which many individuals are underserved by current health care models: “Together, we’re showing what happens when women build, back and lead in health care, and it feels like we’re building the system we’ve always deserved to see.”