MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks myelin, the fatty substance that surrounds and protects the nerve fibers in the central nervous system. When the myelin is damaged, the nerve impulses are not transmitted as quickly or efficiently, resulting in symptoms such as numbness in the limbs, fatigue, dizziness, paralysis and/or loss of vision.

Symptoms of MS will often improve and relapse with time and vary from one person to another. In progressive forms of multiple sclerosis, they gradually worsen.

MS affects approximately 400,000 Americans (1 in 1,000) but is much more common in the Northwest where approximately 12,000 (2 in 1,000) people have MS.  Some likely factors that contribute to this may be vitamin D deficiency, genetic predisposition and environmental triggers. Other factors are still unknown. Additionally, women are twice as likely as men to be affected by MS. 

RESEARCH ADVANCES 

While BRI is committed to eliminating this autoimmune disease, currently there is no cure for MS. On the path to a discovery for a cure, BRI scientists are having success in finding better diagnostics, treatments and therapies for MS. Research at to fight MS includes:

Clinical Trials 

BRI’s clinical trials in MStest drugs that selectively modulate the immune system and may be more effective in reducing symptoms, in partnership with Virginia Mason clinicians, has extensive experience in local and national clinical trials including studies with the most recent and dramatically efficacious immunotherapies.

Translational Research 

Scientists work to better understand the nature of MS disease initiation and progression to better target therapy. BRI researchers have recently discovered that proteins in a certain signaling pathway may be leveraged as novel biomarkers of MS to gauge disease activity and as a target for new therapies. This research was done through a biorepository of patients with MS providing blood samples and medical histories.

Laboratory Research 

laboratory research to understand the basic mechanisms leading to the development of multiple sclerosis and ways to target them researchers and colleagues discovered a subset of immune system cells which are believed to be potent inducers of MS and other autoimmune diseases. They are studying these cells to determine how to inhibit their harmful function.

RELAPSING POLYCHONDRITIS

Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rheumatic autoimmune disease. It is a rare disease in which the immune system attacks the body’s cartilage. RP disease progression includes pain and deformity, which accompanies inflammation and deterioration of cartilage within the ear, nose, trachea and joints. 

research findings are also of interest because the disease is a true tissue-specific autoimmune disease which could enlighten our understanding of other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system mistakenly begins to attack its own tissues, primarily the synovium, the membrane that lines the joints. As a result of this autoimmune response, fluid builds up in the joints, causing joint pain and systemic inflammation.

RA is a chronic disease in which most people experience intermittent periods of intense disease activity punctuated by periods of reduced symptoms or even remission. In the long term, RA can cause damage to cartilage, tendons, ligaments and bones which can lead to substantial loss of mobility.

An estimated 1.5 million people in the United States have RA—almost 1 percent of the nation’s adult population. There are nearly three times as many women as men with the disease. In women, RA most commonly begins between the ages of 30 and 60. In addition, as many as 300,000 children are diagnosed with a distinct but related form of inflammatory arthritis called juvenile arthritis.

RESEARCH ADVANCES 

BRI was an early leader in understanding the genetic component of RA. Current research into the disease includes:

Clinical Trials 

BRI’s clinical research in RA is investigating and comparing the efficacy of different drugs and combinations of drugs for the treatment of RA.

Translational Research 

Scientists study the molecular and genetic profiles of people with early arthritis compared to healthy people using Rheumatic Disease Biorepository to better understand the disease mechanisms at onset and investigate possible environmental factors that could contribute to RA. The findings of this research may lead to earlier diagnosis and possible prevention of RA in the future. Researchers recently used cutting-edge tetramer technology, developed at BRI, to find the T cells that drive RA. This tool now allows scientists to study how RA starts, how current therapies may impact the immune response directed to the joint and how to specifically target these cells therapeutically.

Laboratory Research 

Researchers working to uncover the underlying cause of RA and develop more targeted therapies by using tetramers—a biomarker tool developed at —to identify T cells that attack the joint tissues in RA.

DIABETES

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the beta cells in the pancreas that make insulin. People with this disease must inject themselves with insulin in order to stay alive. They must carefully monitor their blood sugar, and also balance their food intake and exercise. Long-term complications of type 1 diabetes include disabling or even life-threatening organ damage, including heart disease, kidney disease, blindness and nerve damage.

More than one million Americans have type 1 diabetes, and the worldwide incidence of the disease is growing with the greatest increase in children under five-years-old. The disease accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all diagnosed diabetes in the United States.

Type 1 diabetes, also called juvenile diabetes, usually occurs in children or young adults and is especially prevalent among people of Northern European heritage. Additionally, family members of someone who has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes are 15 times more likely to develop the disease themselves.

RESEARCH ADVANCES 

For the past two decades, served as a worldwide leader in research to diagnose, prevent, treat and cure type 1 diabetes. scientists have accounted for some of the substantial discoveries in the field, including the identification of diabetes susceptibility genes, descriptions of the properties of diabetes-associated immune cells and the development of laboratory and clinical tools to study disease progression and response to therapy. Research at to fight the disease includes:

Clinical Trials 

Researchers focus on the prevention and early treatment of type 1 diabetes. T1D clinical trials emphasize intervention studies with the goal of preserving insulin secretion in individuals newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Insulin production has been associated with reduction in severe hypoglycemia and complications, suggesting that intervention even after diagnosis is likely to have significant benefit for people with diabetes.

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Translational Research 

Scientists study the regulation of the immune system and identify approaches that disrupt the autoimmune attack on the beta cells of the pancreas. scientists are working to develop therapies that will correct the loss of immune regulation and protect the pancreas in people who develop type 1 diabetes.

Scientists use Diabetes Biorepository to better understand biomarkers associated with the progression of type 1 diabetes and to identify targets for new therapies. A biorepository consists of blood and tissue samples linked to medical and demographic information collected from people with a specific disease or condition. BRI maintains one of the world’s most robust biorepositories for the study of autoimmune disorders including type 1 diabetes. also shares information with scientists internationally to accelerate discoveries.

Laboratory Research 

BRI investigates the molecular mechanisms of the type 1 diabetes autoimmune response to better understand disease progression and uncover new approaches to treatment. By gaining a greater understanding of the mechanisms and progression of the disease, BRI researchers are also developing methods to better predict a person’s disease risk and provide earlier diagnoses so that patients can begin treatments earlier, at a time when more beta cells remain and more of the insulin production function can be saved. 

also leads the JDRF Biomarker Working Group Core for Assay Validation to find valid biomarkers for diagnosis and disease progression