Café Scientifique - Autoimmunity: me against myself
A Café Scientifique organised by the Research Institute of the MUHC and the Montreal Neurological Institute, supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health research
What happens when our immune systems attack our own bodies? The answer is complex and could be called: type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, or lupus… And these are only a few of the so-called autoimmune diseases. Are they triggered by independent factors, or are they different aspects of the same underlying condition?
Many of the best research teams are now trying to answer these questions. What they learn may profoundly change how we view and treat these pathologies.
Join our panel of top scientists from the Research Institute of the MUHC and the Montreal Neurological Institute to learn about and discuss the latest research findings on autoimmunity.
Host:
Gerri Barrer,
the CBC News
health specialist reporter,
based in Montreal
Presenters
Dr. Constantin Polychronakos, Director of Pediatric Endocrinology at the MUHC
Dr. Ciriaco Piccirillo, Director of the laboratory of immuno-regulation in the department of microbiology at the Research Institute of the MUHC
Dr. Amit Bar-Or, Director of the Experimental Therapeutics Program, and Scientific Director of the Clinical Research Unit at the Montreal Neurological Institute
Q & A
1. How common is it to have more than one autoimmune disease?
2. As it usually takes many years to diagnose multiple sclerosis in adults, how is that children as young as3-years-old can be diagnosed?
3. I have a long running history of autoimmune diseases (diabetes and multiple sclerosis) in my family. What can I do to prevent my children from inheriting these illnesses?
4. Is there a way to measure autoimmunity so that one can start preventative treatment if needed?
5. I’ve heard of a new multiple sclerosis drug in phase three trials right now. Do you know anything about this?
6. Don’t we already have drugs that prevent or slow the progression of multiple sclerosis?
7. How do environmental factors play a role in the development of autoimmune diseases?
8. Is there a link between insufficient Vitamin D and autoimmune diseases?
9. It took 10 years to find out I had systematic lupus erythematosus. Are there any screening tests available that could shorten the diagnosis of these autoimmune disease?
10. What distinguishes lupus from other autoimmune diseases?
11. Are there any research studies on lupus in the Montreal area?
12. After doing some research online, I was wondering if I could have been cured of my autoimmune disease had I been given certain antibiotics as a child or treated with Marshall therapy?
13. As Type 1 diabetes usually strikes people in their childhood, what are the chances that adults develop it?
14. In Type 1 Diabetes, is it possible that a genetic mutation can cause the disruption of the Beta cells? / Dans la diabète Type 1, est-il possible qu’une mutation génétique puisse render les cellules Beta non-fonctionnelles?
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