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Dr. Rumey Ishizawar’s Research Finds Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients May Safely Receive Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Cancer Treatment

April 19, 2023

The study evaluated whether pre-existing rheumatoid arthritis was associated with a higher mortality and risk for immune-related adverse events with immune checkpoint inhibitor use. Joining Dr. Ishizawar in conducting this research were UNC colleagues; Dr. Amanda Lusa, Dr. Todd Schwartz, Carolina Alvarez, and Shruti Saxena Beem. Learn more about the study findings via this summary … Continued

UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center Hosts the 2023 “Carolinas Fellows Collaborative” Winter Symposium

March 17, 2023

Twenty-five rheumatology fellows from UNC, Duke, Wake Forest, Medical University of South Carolina, and Massachusetts General Hospital participated at the 3-day meeting. Educational sessions consisted of a series of seminars, workshops, and a Rheumatology Observed Structured Clinical Exam (ROSCE). The Carolinas Fellows Collaborative is a biannual meeting with the summer gathering held at Wake Forest … Continued

Dr. Richard Loeser Receives $2 Million NIH Grant to Study “Oxidative Stress and the Development of Osteoarthritis”

March 13, 2023

The grant is a 5-year renewal of existing research funded by the National Institute of Aging. The overall goal of the research project is to understand the mechanisms by which oxidative stress governs development and maintenance of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype in articular joints. Dr. Loeser is Director of the UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center, … Continued

Dr. Saira Sheikh is Elected to American College of Rheumatology (ACR’s) Board of Directors

December 2, 2022

In addition to joining the ACR’s governing body, Dr. Sheikh has been appointed to serve as the ACR Board of Directors liaison to the Collaborative Initiatives Department (COIN). The COIN department highlights rheumatology’s relevance to the healthcare community and public by using rheumatic diseases as case studies for treating complex disease, advancing health equity, eliminating … Continued

Using Collaboration to Fight a Tricky Tick-Borne Disease

November 22, 2022

Alpha-Gal Syndrome, or AGS, is a recently identified tick-borne disease that triggers an allergy to red meat and other products made from mammals, including cheese, gelatin, and medications like heparin. Since its discovery in 2009, cases in the United States alone have risen from 24 to >40,000 people, owing to the geographic spread of the … Continued

Dr. Erin Steinbach Publishes Article on Intestinal Epithelial Cell Barrier Dysfunction in Peanut Allergy

November 14, 2022

The findings were identified in an orally susceptible murine model of peanut allergy and in pediatric patients with peanut allergy. Dr. Steinbach characterized increased intestinal epithelial cell barrier permeability in mice with peanut allergy and identified elevated Angiopoietin-like 4 as a possible contributor to this phenomenon. Because severe allergic reactions to peanut are associated with … Continued

Dr. Mildred Kwan and Dr. Andrew Winslow Receive $100K Pfizer Grant to Address Health Disparities in Antimicrobial Stewardship

November 8, 2022

The 2-year grant will help build capacity to address health disparities through antimicrobial stewardship telehealth and telemonitoring. The name of the grant is: “A novel patient-led penicillin allergy de-labeling program targeting underserved children through a mobile-enabled virtual platform.” Dr. Kwan is an Allergy & Immunology faculty member in the UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center, and … Continued

Drs. Phanstiel and Loeser Receive $2.5M NIH NIAMS Grant to ID Osteoarthritis Risk Genes

September 20, 2022

Dr. Richard F. Loeser is the Joseph P. Archie, Jr. Eminent Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology. Dr. Doug Phanstiel – who is in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology – is the principal investigator, and Dr. Loeser is a co-principal investigator for the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and … Continued

Dr. Longobardi’s Research Demonstrates Deletion of Ccr2 in Cartilaginous Tissues Reduces Impact of Post Traumatic Osteoarthritis & Pain

September 12, 2022

Lara Longobardi, PhD, is an associate professor in the Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology. The research showed early deletion of Ccr2 in aggrecan-expressing cells reduces the initiation, but not the progression, of post traumatic osteoarthritis and its associated pain. View the article published in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage.