"Findings yield new clues to puzzling autoimmune disease"

This research was completed by the Sjögren’s Genetics Network (SGENE) that consists of an international coalition of researchers led by scientists at OMRF, including two former SSF Research Grantees: Dr. Kathy Sivils and Dr. Christopher Lessard.

“There was very little evidence for a connection to autoimmune disease prior to our study. Firmly establishing this new association with Sjögren’s then led us to look at the gene’s function in more detail,” said OMRF scientist, co-leader of the project and former SSF research grant recipient, Christopher Lessard, Ph.D.

“If we can get out ahead of the disease, it might help lessen the severe damage that can occur in salivary glands and other organs,” Dr. Sivils said. “Early diagnosis and proper treatment are crucial, and discoveries like this one may give researchers and healthcare professionals more to work with as they look for clues to this perplexing disease.”

Although this is only one step in unlocking the mystery of Sjögren’s, this breakthrough gives hope for future researchers to investigate causes, progressions, and treatments at the disease’s genetic level.

“On behalf of Sjögren’s patients, the Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation (SSF) applauds OMRF for its commitment to finding the many unanswered questions about the disease,” said SSF CEO Steven Taylor. “Drs. Sivils and Lessard, along with their OMRF colleagues, continue to leave their mark in advancing Sjögren’s research, and patients worldwide will benefit from their hard work.”

It’s because of your generous support that the SSF is able to award grants to talented investigators, like Dr. Sivils and Dr. Lessard, who bring novel approaches to Sjögren’s research. The SSF is currently focused on many research initiatives including: Research Grants, Clinical Practice Guidelines, Clinical Trials Consortium and our 5-Year Breakthrough Goal. We hope you will consider donating to the SSF Research Program and help us transform the future of Sjögren’s for all patients and their families. 

Click here to read the full press release from OMRF

Dear Friends,

With the New Year approaching, we at the Sjögren's Syndrome Foundation (SSF) are proud of all that has been accomplished in the past year for Sjögren's patients. We want to share with you a few of the highlights from 2016 that were made possible by your support!

CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES

The SSF has brought together clinical leaders and Sjögren’s experts in all areas of care to produce and publish the very first Clinical Practice Guidelines for Sjögren’s. These guidelines will help doctors and dentists in various disciplines to provide appropriate care to Sjögren’s patients and will ensure that patients receive the best treatment possible. There are currently three (3) different Guidelines that have been completed and published and they are:

• Systemic Manifestations in Sjögren’s Patients
• Oral Management: Caries Prevention in Sjögren’s
• Ocular Management in Sjögren’s Patients

DRUG DEVELOPMENT

In 2016, the SSF continued our lead in getting new therapies developed to help treat Sjögren’s. In the history of Sjögren's, there has never been so much interest in developing a therapeutic for Sjögren’s. There are currently nine companies that have shown an interest in developing a therapeutic for Sjögren’s. Each of these companies are looking to enter or have entered clinical trials in Sjögren’s. The SSF is actively engaged with these companies, as well as the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies, to ensure that the patient voice is captured throughout the entire drug development pipeline. This includes discussions concerning what patients want from a therapeutic to discussions about clinical trial design.

EDUCATION & AWARENESS

The SSF continued to expand our awareness and education campaigns throughout 2016 with the goal to not only increase awareness about the disease but also encourage healthcare providers to become more educated about Sjögren’s and its numerous complications. The ways in which this was done included adding to our patient resources; introducing new educational opportunities for patients; continuing to support, train and grow the Awareness Ambassador program; hosting more than 175 support group meetings around the country and offering a superior National Patient Conference.

THANK YOU!

We at the SSF are grateful for all your support and what you have helped us achieve this past year, but we are most proud of each and every Sjögren's patient as they inspire and amaze us in their fight against this disease.

As 2017 quickly approaches, we know you have many options when it comes to your year-end giving. That is why we would be extremely grateful if you were to help us reach our goal of raising $12,000 by 12 midnight on December 31st by making a donation today to the Sjögren's Syndrome Foundation.

Your gift will provide critical funds to further our research, education and awareness efforts as well as help make a difference in the lives of all Sjögren's patients. We are truly thankful for every gift we receive.

Together, we can transform the future of Sjögren’s!

I am honored to be the new Chair of the Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation’s (SSF) National Board of Directors. Having served on the Board for the past five years, I have seen first-hand the incredible work being done by the SSF and the impact the Foundation has made on the lives of those living with Sjögren's.

As a practicing optometrist for thirty years, I have had the pleasure of holding leadership positions in numerous community and professional eye care organizations. With all this experience, I can confidently say that there is something truly different about the SSF. The CEO, Steven Taylor, has built an organization in which the volunteer board and the professional staff work together in an efficient and cooperative way. He has engaged hundreds of volunteers from across the country to help increase awareness, raise funds, lead events and promote the work of the SSF. He has established a Board that is made up of a combination of patients, family members of patients, doctors, along with others who have an interest in the disease. The SSF staff never treats their work as a job, but rather as a calling to make a difference in the lives of those struggling with this devastating disease.

The SSF works in many areas to ensure that no stone goes unturned and that every program and project is evaluated with the patient in mind! The SSF has a strong advocacy and research arm that is working with pharmaceutical companies to develop a therapeutic for Sjögren’s. Recently, the SSF held an introductory meeting with the FDA to help launch an ongoing dialogue about clinical trials for new therapeutics in Sjögren’s. In addition to this work, the SSF also has brought together professional leaders in all areas of care to produce and publish the first-ever Sjögren’s clinical practice guidelines that doctors can now use as a roadmap for how to appropriately care for Sjögren’s patients. And our strong focus on educating patients and their families can be seen by our annual national patient conference and our more than 65 patient support groups in the United States.

As Board Chair, I am honored to be representing all Sjögren’s patients. I am truly proud to be a part of this outstanding organization and hope you’ll join with me by supporting the SSF. TOGETHER, we can continue our momentum and improve the quality of life for all those who suffer with Sjögren’s!

It is because of your generous support that the SSF is able fund talented researchers and expand the Foundation's research program. We strive to foster research that will have the greatest potential impact on Sjögren's patients, ensuring new therapeutics are developed and a cure is found. 

The SSF research program is designed to reward exceptional research efforts and encourage investigators to continue their focus on Sjögren's throughout their careers. Many of our researchers' work has led to larger grants by other institutes to continue their work and new Sjögren's breakthroughs!  

The Foundation is proud of the work we fund and would like to share with you the five new 2015-2016 SSF Research Grant Recipients and the 2015 SSF Outstanding Abstract Awardee:

Marit Hoeyberg Aure, PhD     
Postdoctoral fellow 
Center for Oral Biology
University of Rochester
Cell lineage analysis in lacrimal gland maintenance and repair
Download Abstract

Alan Nathaniel Baer, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Department of Medicine (Rheumatology)
John Hopkins University School of Medicine
Comprehensive analysis of antibodies in Sjögren’s using phage immunoprecipitation sequencing
Download Abstract

Maria C. Edman, PhD
Research Associate
Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences 
University of Southern California, School of Pharmacy
Tear fluid and serum levels of Cathepsin S and its endogenous inhibitor Cystatin C as biomarkers for Sjögren’s 
Download Abstract

Markus Hardt, PhD
Assistant Member of the Staff
Department of Applied Oral Sciences
The Forsyth Institute
Identification of proteolytic profiles diagnostic of Sjögren’s
Download Abstract 

Petros Papagerakis, DDS, PhD
Assistant Professor of Dentistry
Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry
Clinical Significance of Circadian Rhythms Disruption in Sjögren’s Pathogenesis
Download Abstract 

As many of you know, the Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation (SSF) has been methodically working towards making the lives of Sjögren’s patients better! Thanks to the dedication of our Board of Directors, our staff and hundreds of volunteers, the SSF has been actively working on our overall strategic plan to make Sjögren’s a household name, increase treatment options for Sjögren’s while also helping to educate healthcare professionals on how to treat and manage Sjögren’s.   

Last year was a banner year for the SSF but 2016 is already proving to be even more exciting! There is still a lot of work to be done, but we know with the help of you, our volunteers and our staff, we are going to see great strides in many areas for Sjögren’s.

The time is now and here are just some of our plans for 2016:

• Continue to expand the SSF’s Clinical Trials Consortium (CTC) and encourage the development of therapies for Sjögren’s. The SSF’s CTC works alongside companies that have compounds/ molecules currently under review for clinical trials in Sjögren’s. We help these companies better understand the disease, our patient community and encourage them to develop a treatment. In 2016, we plan to see more than 10 clinical trials started for a Sjögren’s therapeutic that will treat the entire disease, not just one symptom! This work of our CTC has been years in the making and we are most excited about how a therapeutic will be a game changer for Sjögren’s!
• Expand our focus of educating all healthcare providers about the severity of Sjögren’s and its numerous manifestations by attending professional conferences, speaking to healthcare organizations and utilizing the SSF’s Awareness Ambassadors to expand our reach into physicians’ offices by educating them about the SSF and our resources.
• Work alongside the FDA to help them understand the need for Sjögren’s therapeutic and educate them about the severity of Sjögren’s.
• Fund new and innovative research that will lead to new biomarkers, diagnostic tools and learning what causes Sjögren’s through the SSF Research Grant Program. The SSF also will work with young investigators to encourage and recognize their work, in hopes that they pursue a career in Sjögren’s.
• Continue the peer review process for our Clinical Practice Guidelines on the systemic manifestations of Sjögren’s. Our committee of rheumatologists will continue to focus on writing recommendations for how to treat and manage the 16 systemic manifestations that we identified need guidelines. These include fatigue, joint pain, lymphoma, internal organ involvement, etc.
• Conduct a comprehensive national patient survey to gather crucial information about the numerous complications patients experience as well as the burden of the illness and their quality of life. The SSF is partnering with Harris Polling, a division of Nielson, to develop this survey with plans of distribution in late February. The findings of our survey will help the SSF, as we represent the patient voice and advocate for all Sjögren’s suffers.
• Further our support of patients, family and caregivers through our website, patient materials, monthly patient newsletter as well as new resources we are developing for 2016.

 And in the few short days of 2016, the SSF has already seen two major accomplishments:

• The SSF’s “Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dental Caries Prevention” was accepted by the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) and will be published this Spring for all practicing dentists to see.   In addition, the SSF will promote more information bout these guidelines in an upcoming issue of The Moisture Seekers. (Click here if you want to subscribe to start receiving our newsletter.)
• Former SSF Research Grant Recipient & Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) Scientist Dr. Umesh Deshmukh received a 5-year, $2.14 million grant from the National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research to study Sjögren's. (Click here to view other Sjögren's research breakthroughs made by SSF research grantees at the OMRF) 

So as you can see, the time is now and the SSF has big plans for 2016! The progress the SSF continues to make and the recent advancements in Sjögren's research and awareness speaks to the combined efforts of hundreds of volunteers. It is because of their willingness to share their story, attend our events, volunteer their time, donate to the SSF, we are helping to create a future of hope for all patients and their families. 

It will take an army to achieve our plans for 2016, so I hope you will consider stepping up and getting involved! The Time Is Now!   

Sincerely,

Steven Taylor,
SSF Chief Executive Officer