UTMC Partnership Research Project Update

Written by Katie Jaskolski on . Posted in News

August 2016 Update from Dr. Kenneth Hensley:

I have been working with one of Dr. Grubb’s student residents Dr. Ruzieh Mohammed to teach him the immunoglobulin pull-down assay in my lab. We have performed some technical variations to determine how the assay might be modified. Our hope is to continue to try to identify novel immunoglobulins in POTS sera.

Please see below for the latest update on Dr. Grubb and his team’s progress on the groundbreaking research project they are currently doing on Dysautonomia that Life as a Zebra Foundation has helped fund.

Grubb Update

Dysautonomia

Dysautonomia literally means dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is the master regulator of organ function throughout the body. It is involved in the control of heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, respiration, digestion and other vital functions.

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

Individuals with EDS have a defect in their connective tissue, the tissue that provides support to many body parts such as the skin, muscles and ligaments. The fragile skin and unstable joints found in EDS are the result of faulty collagen.

Vasculitis

Vasculitis is a family of rare and chronic autoimmune diseases, all characterized by the inflammation of blood vessels. There are more than 15 different vasculitis diseases, all of which can affect people of various ages, races, and genders.