A grant to investigate the link between viral infection and autoimmunity, new published findings from an OMRF scientist connecting gut health with healing ability and the announcement that an OMRF scientist has been named president of the North American Vascular Biology Organization highlight recent news fromthe Innovation District'sOklahoma Medical Research Foundation.
The National Institutes of Health has awarded the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation $480,000 to investigate the long-term effects of viral infections on autoimmunity.
OMRF scientist Umesh Deshmukh, Ph.D., received the two-year grant to study how viral infections such as Covid-19 can influence the development of autoimmune diseases. Specifically, his lab will study the effects of a hyperactivated immune system on salivary glands that can ultimately lead to Sjgrens syndrome.
In Sjgrens syndrome, immune cells attack moisture-producing glands, leading to painful dryness anddecreased ability to produce tears or saliva. Common symptoms include severe dry eyes and mouth, fatigue, arthritis, and memory problems.
Sjgrens may affect up to 4 million Americans, according to the Sjgrens Syndrome Foundation. While its causes are not fully understood, environmental triggers, such as viral infections, are believed to contribute to the development of the disease in individuals who carry certain genetic risk factors.
We are learning more every day about the long-term side effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and specifically, we have learned the virus has found a niche in the salivary glands, said Deshmukh, who joined OMRF from the University of Virginia in 2013. While most people associate the virus with the lungs, we continue to see more areas of the body that are impacted in the long term. Salivary glands appear to be one of the organs at risk.
Deshmukh said they are particularly interested in seeing how the cytokine storm the virus can cause in the body activates genes and immune factors that already put certain individuals at risk for Sjgrens.
A cytokine storm happens when the body senses danger and rapidly generates a class of proteins, called cytokines, that help the immune cells to kill invading viruses or bacteria, explained Deshmukh.
When the body overproduces these cytokines, it can lead to unintended damage, he said. This response is what causes a fever when you are fighting infection. Its a good thing, but you can, unfortunately, have too much of a good thing.
To understand the effects of cytokine storms downstream regarding autoimmunity, Deshmukh and his lab will mimic viral infections in research models. They will then monitor the activation of genetic risk factors for Sjgrens and other autoimmune diseases.
We are seeing that many Covid-19 patients have an autoimmune response already initiated, he said. With diseases like Sjgrens, they can take years to emerge, so we need to hit the ground running now to get out ahead of a potential problem down the road.
The grant, R21 DE031166-01, is funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, a part of the NIH.
New findings from the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation suggest the gut microbiome may impact wound healing and cartilage regrowth.
The research from OMRF physician-scientist Matlock Jeffries, M.D., could lead to new treatment for skin wounds, severe injuries and post-traumatic arthritis, a form of osteoarthritis (OA) that develops after an injury or reconstructive surgery. Post-traumatic arthritis makes up more than 10% of OA cases and is one of the top reasons for injury-related discharge among active-duty U.S. soldiers.
Stemming from the loss of cartilage between bones and joints, OA affects an estimated 27 million Americans and is the leading cause of disability in adults in the U.S. With no way yet to regenerate cartilage, the only treatment is a joint replacement.
Knee replacements caused by OA are the number one procedure expense to Medicare each year, said Jeffries, a board-certified rheumatologist who treats patients in OMRFs Rheumatology Research Center of Excellence. But there are no drugs that stop or slow the progression of the disease.
While most OA research focuses on genetics and blood, Jeffries turned his attention to the gut microbiome. Composed of thousands of tiny organisms in our digestive tracts, scientists increasingly suspect the microbiome as a key player in numerous conditions.
Jeffries lab looked at a unique strain of mouse called a superhealer that naturally and unusually heals wounds to its ear cartilage. Ear cartilage shares many similarities to knee cartilage.
Jeffries transplanted microbiome from the healer mice into a group of mice with average healing capabilities. After the transplant, the non-healer mice demonstrated an increased ability to generate new ear cartilage, as did their offspring.
The results, published in the journal PLOS One, indicate the gut microbiome has far more influence on the immune response to injury than previously understood.
It was a completely unexpected finding, said Jeffries, noting the idea among scientists had long been that healer mice owe their abilities purely to genetics.
Jeffries lab will now study if this healing ability is related to specific microbiome organisms, how long the healing boost lasts and how it may impact outcomes for OA.
More study is needed, but potentially, said Jeffries, if an injury was caught in time, a microbiome transplant could change someones outcome.
The research was conducted in partnership with the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and funded by National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases grant No. 7K08AR070891-05, U.S. Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program award W81XWH-20-1-0002, and the Presbyterian Health Foundation.
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientist Courtney Griffin, Ph.D., has been named president of the North American Vascular Biology Organization.
Founded in 1994, NAVBO is an international organization of scientists who study the function and diseases of blood vessels.
At OMRF, Griffin studies vessel regression. When the body grows too many or too few blood vessels in places like the eyes and kidneys, they can disrupt the normal function of the organ. Griffins team works to understand ways to control abnormal vessels. She first joined NAVBO in 2006 as a postdoctoral researcher.
Organizations like NAVBO help scientists connect with other researchers in our niche of biology, said Griffin, a scientist in the foundations Cardiovascular Biology Research Program. In science, you cant be an island and be successful.
Griffin joined OMRFs scientific staff in 2008 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She earned her doctorate at the University of California San Francisco following her bachelors degree at Harvard University. At OMRF, she holds the Scott Zarrow Chair in Biomedical Research.
In addition to her position at OMRF, Griffin is also the scientific director for the Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research and an adjunct professor of cell biology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
As president of NAVBO, Griffin will lead the organizations global team of officers in education, outreach and advocacy efforts.
Were increasingly focused on younger students who are intrigued by vascular biology and making real progress in increasing involvement with underrepresented groups, Griffin said. Its a joy and a privilege to build a scientific family that extends around the world, and, most importantly, it empowers science.
Visit link:
- Biology of stem cells: an overview - PMC - National Center for ... - March 26th, 2024
- Iron Limitation Preserves Youthfulness of Blood Stem Cells - Mirage News - March 13th, 2024
- Mini organs grown from stem cells of unborn babies for the first time in breakthrough - The Mirror - March 9th, 2024
- The Effect of Short-Term NAD3 Supplementation on Circulating Adult Stem Cells in Healthy Individuals Aged 40-70 ... - Cureus - March 7th, 2024
- University of Liverpool Spin-Out Emerges, Pioneering Novel Adult Stem Cell-Based Therapies - India Education Diary - March 7th, 2024
- Scientists have used cells from fluid drawn during pregnancy to grow mini lungs and other organs - Yahoo News Canada - March 6th, 2024
- Japan approves new stem cell-based Alzheimer's therapy By Proactive Investors - Investing.com Australia - January 20th, 2024
- Cyberstalking pits Harvard professor against PubPeer Retraction ... - Retraction Watch - December 5th, 2023
- 10 functional health predictions for 2024, according to a doctor and ... - 1330 WFIN - December 5th, 2023
- See the Brain Like Never Before in This Gorgeous Art - Scientific American - December 5th, 2023
- Geron Announces Publication in The Lancet of Results from the ... - BioSpace - December 5th, 2023
- Stem cell injections could be the key to curing MS - Freethink - December 3rd, 2023
- Jaypirca (pirtobrutinib) Now Approved by U.S. FDA for the ... - Investors | Eli Lilly and Company - December 3rd, 2023
- Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Four JAK Inhibitors for ... - HealthDay - December 3rd, 2023
- City lights up for Francis on Anthony Nolan's birthday - Liverpool Express - December 3rd, 2023
- NOT-AR-23-022: Request for Information on Themes for the NIAMS ... - National Institutes of Health (.gov) - December 3rd, 2023
- December 2023: Intramural Papers of the Month - Environmental Factor Newsletter - December 1st, 2023
- CNA Explains: What is cord blood banking and why do parents do it? - CNA - December 1st, 2023
- Regulation of myogenesis and adipogenesis by the electromagnetic ... - Nature.com - December 1st, 2023
- The effects of vitamin K on bone health - News-Medical.Net - December 1st, 2023
- Dr Hurwitz on Ongoing Investigations of the Use of CAR T-Cell ... - OncLive - December 1st, 2023
- Mitophagy in human health, ageing and disease - Nature.com - December 1st, 2023
- Adult Stem Cells - Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine ... - November 29th, 2023
- Navigating The Regulatory Landscape Of Longevity Health Products ... - Mondaq News Alerts - November 29th, 2023
- MS breakthrough could lead to treatments that halt disease's ... - inews - November 29th, 2023
- Reprogramming tissue mechanically to promote wound healing - Phys.org - November 29th, 2023
- Latest Advances in Arthritis Diagnosis and Treatment at American ... - HealthDay - November 29th, 2023
- Sex-associated differences in frequencies and prognostic impact of ... - Nature.com - November 29th, 2023
- Hematologists Dive into the Current Treatment Landscape - OncLive - November 29th, 2023
- Team discovers protein crucial for B cell differentiation and antibodies - Phys.org - November 29th, 2023
- Science Talk - I survived cancer as a child and now I'm working to ... - The Institute of Cancer Research - November 29th, 2023
- First Edition: Nov. 29, 2023 - KFF Health News - November 29th, 2023
- Symptoms: Unilateral Hearing Loss and Tinnitus : The Hearing Journal - LWW Journals - November 29th, 2023
- Mitigation of sepsis-induced acute lung injury by BMSCs | IJN - Dove Medical Press - November 29th, 2023
- A Case of a Constricted Vessel: The Impact of Acute Myeloid ... - Cureus - November 29th, 2023
- Mum brushed off fatigue after having baby but fall sparked deadly diagnosis - The Mirror - November 29th, 2023
- How heritable is the epigenome? - Drug Discovery News - November 29th, 2023
- The Blueprint of Regeneration: Scientists Discover How to Turn Stem Cells Fate - Revyuh - November 27th, 2023
- BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Announces In-Person Meeting with ... - Marketscreener.com - November 27th, 2023
- Stem Cell Therapy Developed in Korea Begins Treatment for ... - PharmiWeb.com - November 25th, 2023
- COVID-19 Pandemic's Adverse Effect on Bone Health in Young ... - HealthDay - November 25th, 2023
- Sickle cell breakthrough - The Indian Express - November 25th, 2023
- Wall thickness analysis method for judging the degree of lower ... - Nature.com - November 25th, 2023
- Century Therapeutics to Present at the Piper Sandler 35th Annual Healthcare Conference - Yahoo Finance - November 23rd, 2023
- Disease Transmission and Diagnosis of Zika Virus - Cureus - November 23rd, 2023
- Gene-editing therapy for sickle cell earns conditional approval in UK - Sickle Cell Disease News - November 23rd, 2023
- Stem Cell Therapy Developed in Korea Begins Treatment for ... - Newswire - November 21st, 2023
- Efficacy of ADSC-CM in Patients with Telogen Effluvium | SCCAA - Dove Medical Press - November 21st, 2023
- BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Announces In-Person Meeting with ... - PR Newswire - November 21st, 2023
- The Impact of CAR T Cell Therapy on Managing R/R LBCL - OncLive - November 21st, 2023
- Mansour bin Zayed witnesses inauguration of ADSCC Bone Marrow Transplant & Cellular Therapy Congress 2023 - ZAWYA - November 21st, 2023
- Listeria: Who is most susceptible? What are the Symptoms? What ... - Food Poison Journal - November 21st, 2023
- Scope Of Issued Patents May Be Limited By Prosecution Estoppel ... - Mondaq News Alerts - November 21st, 2023
- Qrons Announces the Addition of Professor Shiri Navon-Venezia to ... - StreetInsider.com - November 21st, 2023
- Financially strapped Athersys raises $10.4M - cleveland.com - November 19th, 2023
- From the India Today archives (2010) | How stem cells can save your life - India Today - November 19th, 2023
- Inactivation of the tumor suppressor gene Apc synergizes with H ... - Science - November 19th, 2023
- The Origins of Multiple Myeloma and Why it Matters - HealthTree For AML - Acute Myeloid Leukemia - November 19th, 2023
- Treatment Considerations With TROP2-Targeted Therapy - OncLive - November 19th, 2023
- Athersys narrows loss, raises $10.4 million during third quarter to ... - The Business Journals - November 17th, 2023
- Who was Dolly the Sheep and what happened to her? The story of ... - BBC Countryfile Magazine - November 17th, 2023
- UK first to approve CRISPR treatment for diseases: what you need to ... - Nature.com - November 17th, 2023
- 1st sickle cell patient to be given therapy restoring fetal hemoglobin - Sickle Cell Disease News - November 15th, 2023
- Century Therapeutics Reports Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results and Provides Business Updates - Century - Benzinga - November 13th, 2023
- Century Therapeutics Appoints Brent Pfeiffenberger, Pharm.D., MBA, as Chief Executive Officer - Yahoo Finance - November 11th, 2023
- Century Therapeutics and FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics Announce Licenses for the Development and Commercialization of iPSC-Derived Cell Therapies in... - November 11th, 2023
- AAO 2023: Paul Runge and his ROP treatments in the Ukraine - Modern Retina - November 11th, 2023
- The Evolutionary Reasons We Are Drawn To Horror Movies and ... - Slashdot - November 11th, 2023
- Century Therapeutics Reports Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results ... - GlobeNewswire - November 11th, 2023
- Century Therapeutics Reports Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results ... - StreetInsider.com - November 9th, 2023
- NYU Langone Health Performs World's First Whole-Eye & Partial ... - NYU Langone Health - November 9th, 2023
- BrainStorm to Announce Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results and ... - BioSpace - November 9th, 2023
- Can we cut cost and pain of IVF? Start-up CEO tries out own ... - Genetic Literacy Project - November 9th, 2023
- Jasper Therapeutics Reports Third Quarter 2023 Financial Results ... - BioSpace - November 9th, 2023
- Impaired neural stress resistance and loss of REST in bipolar ... - Nature.com - November 9th, 2023
- Functional genomics and systems biology in human neuroscience - Nature.com - November 9th, 2023
- Trial launched to test CAR T-cell therapy in dogs diagnosed with ... - EurekAlert - November 9th, 2023
- The-Gut's-Lasting-Impact-on-Severe-COVID-19-Immune-Response - Infectious Disease Special Edition - November 9th, 2023
- Emerging Cure for Sickle Cell on its Way to FDA Approval, Carries ... - Dallasweekly - November 7th, 2023
- The science works, but will we pay for it? - Irish Medical Times - November 7th, 2023
Recent Comments