Dr. Peter Merkel, Director of the University of Pennsylvania Vasculitis Center and Co-Principal Investigator of the Vasculitis Patient-Powered Research Network, received his first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine just before New Year’s Eve. Dr. Merkel says “I am excited that the vaccine will become increasingly available to everyone, especially patients…...
Pitt Scientists Identify Genetic Risks of Rare Inflammatory Disease
PITTSBURGH, Dec. 11, 2020 – In a paper published today in the American Journal of Human Genetics, a group of international collaborators led by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine identified new genetic associations that can predict individual susceptibility to a rare inflammatory disease called Takayasu arteritis.…...
Scientists use Clues in the Human Genome to Discover new Inflammatory Syndrome
“Our team of researchers at the NIH discovered a new form of vasculitis and called it VEXAS. VEXAS is caused by genetic mutations in a portion of a patient’s blood cells. Before we knew about VEXAS, these patients were diagnosed with other forms of vasculitis, such as relapsing polychondritis, polyarteritis…...
FDA approves Nucala as the first and only biologic treatment for Hypereosinophilic Syndrome (HES)
Third US indication for Nucala demonstrates GSK’s commitment to finding new ways to help patients with eosinophil-driven diseases Issued: 25 September 2020, London UK GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) today announced the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Nucala (mepolizumab) for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients aged 12…...
VF Announces 2020 V-RED Award Winners
Two winners tied for first place and one received an honorable mention in the Vasculitis Foundation’s (VF) 2020 Recognizing Excellence in Diagnostics (V-RED) award program. Now in its seventh year, the program calls on patients worldwide to nominate a medical professional they want to recognize for making a critical, early…...
