Speakers:
Dr. Bill Robinson, Associate Professor of Medicine (Immunology and Rheumatology), Stanford University
Dr. John Stone, Director, Clinical Rheumatology, Massachusetts General Hospital
IgG4-related disease is a multi-organ, inflammatory condition that has emerged onto the immunology scene only within the last decade. Because it tends to cause mass lesions, IgG4-RD mimics many malignant and infectious diseases, as well as a host of other immune-mediated disorders. Although the prevalence of IgG4-RD is likely between 100,000 and 200,000 individuals in the United States today, widespread ignorance of this diagnosis among practitioners and the public often leads to diagnostic delays and inappropriate, harmful interventions.
Researchers have made progress with remarkable swiftness in understanding how IgG4-RD works mechanistically. Application of next-generation sequencing techniques to cells of the B and T lymphocyte lines has permitted the identification of biomarkers and the discovery of a novel T lymphocyte believed crucial to the IgG4-RD processes. A broadening international collaboration has rapidly assembled the clinical investigation tools required to study IgG4-RD in clinical trials, and laboratory work has identified a number of potential targets.
Dr. John Stone, the Edward A. Fox Chair in Medicine and Director of Clinical Rheumatology at the Massachusetts General Hospital recently organized and chaired the Third International Symposium on IgG4-RD and Fibrosis (www.internationalsymposium.net) and is recognized as the world’s leading clinical investigator in IgG4-related disease. Dr. Bill Robinson, a Professor of Medicine at Stanford University, is applying technology to discover targets in IgG4 and other autoimmune diseases. Drs. Stone and Robinson believe that the lessons they are learning about human immunology have enormous potential to lead to breakthroughs in human immunology, relevant not only IgG4-RD but also to other diseases associated with inflammation and fibrosis. Continuing the swift pace of development will require broad collaboration among academia, industry, venture capital, and entrepreneurs. In the establishment of such collaborations, opportunities abound.
Watch and learn more about IgG4-related disease and how current progress points to an incredible revolution ahead-to save lives, and advance innovation and economic growth.
9 мар 2017
