Research

Exploring Effects of Cancer Immunotherapy Drugs on Autoimmune Manifestations

Principal Investigator: Dr. Paulina Chalan

Photo from left to right; Patrizio Caturegli, M.D., M.P.H., Director of The Autoimmune Research Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine; Sandra J. Boek, Executive Director, GAI; Paulina Chalan, PhD, Walter and Jean Boek Autoimmune Research Fellow, Division of Immunology, Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Postdoctoral research at Johns Hopkins Medicine is exploring the development of autoimmune hypophysitis (primarily affecting the pituitary gland) following cancer immunotherapy. This study is significant and unique, in that it will track the development of this autoimmune disease from inception, in mouse models, in order to better understand the evolution of the disease.

Prevalence, Risk, and Clustering of Autoimmune Diseases

Principal Investigator: Dr. Randi Foraker

Photo:  Randi Foraker, PhD, MA, FAHA, Associate Professor, Institute for Informatics, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine, and colleagues.

Through this investigation, we will begin to determine critical questions in autoimmune disease. At this stage, data is limited for most ADs. GAI is determined to help find the real answers, and is delighted to support and work with Dr. Foraker and her colleagues who have embarked on this important project.

This study will determine the prevalence of autoimmune disease by year from their catchment area, which will then be extrapolated to the overall U.S. population. The project will also apply data-driven approaches to identify demographic and clinical factors which are predictive of autoimmune disease, and to document the co-occurrence of autoimmune and non-autoimmune diseases to describe common “clusters” of diagnoses. This project is expected to help us better understand the burden of autoimmune disease in the U.S. and to aid healthcare providers in more quickly and precisely identifying and treating patients who have autoimmune disease.

Clinical Relevance and Structural Analysis
of Antibodies to EBNA-1 that cross react
with DsDNA

Principal Investigator: Dr. Linda Spatz

Photo: Linda Spatz, PhD, and colleagues in their lab.

This scientific investigation of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients focuses on whether the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) causes production of human antibodies using molecular mimicry in SLE patients. This could suggest that EBV may be a cause of SLE. The long-term goal of the study is to design a treatment to block certain EBV antibodies that cause organ damage in SLE patients.