Event

Faculty Research Workshop: Sjögren's syndrome

Wednesday, November 12, 2014 09:00to12:00
Strathcona Anatomy and Dentistry Building Room M/48, 3640 rue University, Montreal, QC, H3A 0C7, CA

A light lunch will follow.

Please join us for our next Faculty of Dentistry Advanced Research Seminar and Workshop. View flyer

Title

"Sjögren's syndrome"

Host

Dr. Simon Tran

Speakers

Dr. Michael Brennan: DDS, MHS, Professor and Chairman, Department of Oral Medicine, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, North Carolina.

Dr. John Chiorini: PhD, Chief, Adeno-Associated Virus Biology Section, Molecular Physiology and Therapeutics Branch, National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.

Dr. Henri Ménard: MD, FRCP, Professor of Medicine, McGill University, Senior Physician, Rheumatology, Montreal General Hospital.

Workshop summary

Brief summary of the workshop: Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by symptoms of oral and ocular dryness, exocrine dysfunction, lymphocytic infiltration, and destruction of exocrine glands. The salivary and lacrimal glands are primarily affected, but Sjögren's syndrome can have wide-spread and diverse manifestations. Dryness may affect other mucosal areas such as the skin, nasopharynx, throat, trachea and vagina. Signs of systemic autoimmune disease with musculoskeletal, pulmonary, gastric, hematologic, dermatologic, renal and neurologic manifestations many also be evident in patients with SS. The mechanism(s) driving primary SS are poorly understood and may involve a combination of environmental and genetic factors. This workshop will bring together three clinician-scientists (Dr Mike Brennan, Dr John Chiorini and Dr Henri Ménard) to discuss the current epidemiology, diagnostic challenges, clinical presentations and currently available management strategies for the glandular and extra-glandular manifestations of this condition. The speakers will discuss the limitations of the current management strategies and how the use of microarray technology and other advances in the field are being utilized to determine new approaches to address the significant problems experienced by Sjögren's syndrome patients. While there is no fully adequate conventional treatment for this condition, upon completion of the workshop participants will appreciate management strategies for the wide range of clinical manifestations that patients experience, as well as likely future therapies.

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