https://sites.google.com/site/crohnsdiseaseusa/

Crohn’s​ ​disease​ ​scientist​ ​knows​ ​the​ ​disease​ ​as​ ​a​ ​patient,​ ​too Whenever​ ​a​ ​co-worker​ ​has​ ​a​ ​bad​ ​cold,​ ​Karen​ ​Edelblum​ ​wears​ ​a​ ​mask.​ ​Karen​ ​Edelblum​ ​is​ ​an​ ​assistant professor​ ​at​ ​Rutgers​ ​New​ ​Jersey​ ​Medical​ ​School​ ​studying​ ​Crohn’s​ ​disease​.​ ​She​ ​also​ ​has​ ​the​ ​bowel disease​ ​herself.​ ​ ​Crohn’s​ ​disease​​ ​scientist​ ​knows​ ​the​ ​disease​ ​as​ ​a​ ​patient,​ ​too She​ ​has​ ​sworn​ ​off​ ​raspberries​ ​and​ ​popcorn. And,​ ​although​ ​just​ ​in​ ​her​ ​mid-30s,​ ​she​ ​already​ ​has​ ​been​ ​through​ ​a​ ​case​ ​of​ ​shingles,​ ​a​ ​disease​ ​that more​ ​typically​ ​strikes​ ​those​ ​over​ ​50. Such​ ​is​ ​life​ ​for​ ​someone​ ​with​ ​Crohn’s​ ​disease​,​ ​a​ ​misery-inducing​ ​immune​ ​disorder​ ​with​ ​flare-ups that​ ​she​ ​likens​ ​to​ ​having​ ​food​ ​poisoning​ ​for​ ​months​ ​on​ ​end. But​ ​unlike​ ​most​ ​of​ ​the​ ​1.6​ ​million​ ​others​ ​in​ ​the​ ​United​ ​States​ ​who​ ​suffer​ ​from​ ​inflammatory​ ​ ​bowel disease​ ​(IBD​ ​),​ ​which​ ​includes​ ​Crohn’s​ ​and​ ​colitis,​ ​Edelblum​ ​is​ ​fighting​ ​the​ ​problem​ ​not​ ​only​ ​as​ ​a patient,​ ​but​ ​also​ ​as​ ​a​ ​scientist. An​ ​assistant​ ​professor​ ​at​ ​Rutgers​ ​New​ ​Jersey​ ​Medical​ ​School,​ ​she​ ​has​ ​uncovered​ ​new​ ​clues​ ​about specialized​ ​cells​ ​in​ ​the​ ​immune​ ​system,​ ​ingeniously​ ​recording​ ​microscopic​ ​movies​ ​of​ ​their​ ​activity inside​ ​a​ ​live​ ​mouse.

Edelblum​ ​also​ ​is​ ​active​ ​in​ ​the​ ​patient​ ​community,​ ​having​ ​worked​ ​nine​ ​summers​ ​at​ ​a​ ​camp​ ​for children​ ​with​ ​the​ ​condition,​ ​and​ ​raising​ ​money​ ​for​ ​research.​ ​All​ ​the​ ​while​ ​she​ ​maintains​ ​a​ ​sense​ ​of humor​ ​about​ ​a​ ​disease. She​ ​gets​ ​high​ ​marks​ ​from​ ​former​ ​boss​ ​Jerrold​ ​R.​ ​Turner,​ ​a​ ​senior​ ​pathologist​ ​at​ ​Brigham​ ​and Women’s​ ​Hospital​ ​in​ ​Boston. “She’s​ ​really​ ​the​ ​full​ ​package,”​ ​said​ ​Turner,​ ​a​ ​faculty​ ​member​ ​at​ ​Harvard​ ​Medical​ ​School.​ ​“She’s​ ​not somebody​ ​who’s​ ​going​ ​to​ ​go​ ​into​ ​her​ ​lab​ ​and​ ​close​ ​the​ ​door.”

https://sites.google.com/site/crohnsdiseaseusa/ It​ ​was​ ​a​ ​course​ ​that​ ​Edelblum​ ​started​ ​plotting​ ​when​ ​she​ ​was​ ​13​ ​years​ ​old. An​ ​initial​ ​misdiagnosis That’s​ ​when​ ​the​ ​first​ ​flare-up​ ​happened. Like​ ​others​ ​with​ ​her​ ​condition,​ ​Edelblum​ ​has​ ​a​ ​“leaky”​ ​gut​ ​–​ ​a​ ​flaw​ ​in​ ​the​ ​lining​ ​that​ ​separates​ ​the intestinal​ ​tract​ ​from​ ​the​ ​bloodstream. But​ ​that​ ​alone​ ​is​ ​not​ ​enough​ ​to​ ​cause​ ​colitis,​ ​which​ ​strikes​ ​the​ ​colon,​ ​or​ ​Crohn’s​,​ ​which​ ​can​ ​occur anywhere​ ​in​ ​the​ ​digestive​ ​tract. Sufferers​ ​also​ ​have​ ​an​ ​immune​ ​system​ ​prone​ ​to​ ​going​ ​into​ ​overdrive,​ ​so​ ​that​ ​when​ ​bacteria​ ​invade, the​ ​immune​ ​response​ ​sets​ ​off​ ​a​ ​vicious​ ​cycle​ ​of​ ​inflammation,​ ​leading​ ​to​ ​further​ ​impairment​ ​of​ ​the intestinal​ ​lining. It​ ​is​ ​unclear​ ​what​ ​triggers​ ​a​ ​flare-up,​ ​though​ ​stress​ ​can​ ​contribute.​ ​Physicians​ ​sometimes​ ​fail​ ​to​ ​read the​ ​signs. Edelblum​ ​had​ ​a​ ​chronic​ ​fever​ ​and​ ​gastrointestinal​ ​distress,​ ​and​ ​one​ ​internist​ ​suggested​ ​she​ ​might have​ ​leukemia.​ ​Her​ ​mother​ ​was​ ​skeptical​ ​and​ ​sought​ ​another​ ​opinion,​ ​eventually​ ​getting​ ​a​ ​diagnosis of​​ ​Crohn’s​. The​ ​13-year-old​ ​patient​ ​then​ ​asked​ ​her​ ​doctor​ ​three​ ​questions:​ ​Am​ ​I​ ​going​ ​to​ ​die?​ ​(Not​ ​from​ ​this.)​ ​Is there​ ​a​ ​cure?​ ​(No.)​ ​If​ ​I​ ​have​ ​kids,​ ​would​ ​they​ ​get​ ​it?​ ​(Possibly.) “That’s​ ​when​ ​I​ ​decided​ ​this​ ​is​ ​what​ ​I’m​ ​going​ ​to​ ​do​ ​with​ ​my​ ​life,”​ ​she​ ​recalled​ ​last​ ​month,​ ​sitting​ ​in her​ ​lab​ ​in​ ​Newark,​ ​N.J.​ ​“If​ ​I​ ​have​ ​the​ ​capability​ ​to​ ​change​ ​this​ ​outcome​ ​for​ ​myself​ ​or​ ​others,​ ​then why​ ​not​ ​do​ ​that?” Growing​ ​up​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Houston​ ​area,​ ​she​ ​always​ ​had​ ​been​ ​interested​ ​in​ ​science.​ ​When​ ​peers​ ​recoiled from​ ​dissecting​ ​worms​ ​and​ ​other​ ​creatures​ ​in​ ​science​ ​class,​ ​she​ ​would​ ​offer​ ​to​ ​come​ ​in​ ​early​ ​and​ ​do​ ​it for​ ​them. She​ ​studied​ ​biology​ ​as​ ​an​ ​undergraduate​ ​at​ ​Emory​ ​University,​ ​followed​ ​by​ ​a​ ​doctorate​ ​in​ ​cell​ ​biology at​ ​Vanderbilt​ ​University​ ​and​ ​a​ ​post-doctoral​ ​position​ ​with​ ​Turner,​ ​then​ ​at​ ​the​ ​University​ ​of​ ​Chicago. Edelblum​ ​was​ ​far​ ​from​ ​the​ ​first​ ​patient​ ​who​ ​aspired​ ​to​ ​study​ ​her​ ​own​ ​disease,​ ​Turner​ ​said. “What’s​ ​unusual​ ​is​ ​that​ ​she​ ​followed​ ​through,​ ​and​ ​she​ ​didn’t​ ​change​ ​her​ ​mind​ ​later,”​ ​he​ ​said.​ ​“What most​ ​people​ ​in​ ​the​ ​world​ ​don’t​ ​realize​ ​is​ ​how​ ​hard​ ​research​ ​is.” Working​ ​with​ ​Turner,​ ​she​ ​used​ ​sophisticated​ ​microscopes​ ​to​ ​peer​ ​inside​ ​the​ ​gut​ ​of​ ​a​ ​sedated​ ​mouse, carefully​ ​performing​ ​surgery​ ​to​ ​ease​ ​the​ ​animal’s​ ​intestines​ ​onto​ ​a​ ​glass​ ​plate​ ​without​ ​disrupting their​ ​function. Sitting​ ​in​ ​front​ ​of​ ​a​ ​computer​ ​screen​ ​at​ ​Rutgers,​ ​she​ ​called​ ​up​ ​a​ ​series​ ​of​ ​images​ ​recorded​ ​through that​ ​procedure,​ ​revealing​ ​the​ ​activity​ ​of​ ​a​ ​poorly​ ​understood​ ​immune​ ​soldier​ ​called​ ​a​ ​gamma​ ​delta T-cell. Highlighted​ ​in​ ​fluorescent​ ​green,​ ​the​ ​cells​ ​can​ ​be​ ​seen​ ​approaching​ ​the​ ​lining​ ​of​ ​the​ ​animal’s intestine.​ ​They​ ​remain​ ​in​ ​position​ ​for​ ​a​ ​few​ ​minutes,​ ​then​ ​retreat​ ​and​ ​move​ ​to​ ​another​ ​location,​ ​a pattern​ ​that​ ​made​ ​Edelblum​ ​think​ ​of​ ​a​ ​sentinel​ ​on​ ​patrol. Last​ ​year​ ​in​ ​the​ ​journal​ ​Gastroenterology,​ ​she,​ ​Turner,​ ​and​ ​colleagues​ ​reported​ ​that​ ​these​ ​sentinels appear​ ​to​ ​serve​ ​an​ ​antibacterial​ ​function. The​ ​team​ ​administered​ ​Salmonella​ ​bacteria​ ​to​ ​two​ ​kinds​ ​of​ ​mice:​ ​one​ ​in​ ​which​ ​the​ ​movement​ ​of these​ ​sentinels​ ​was​ ​genetically​ ​blocked,​ ​and​ ​another​ ​in​ ​which​ ​it​ ​was​ ​enhanced.

https://sites.google.com/site/crohnsdiseaseusa/ “If​ ​you​ ​block​ ​the​ ​migration​ ​of​ ​these​ ​cells,​ ​more​ ​bacteria​ ​get​ ​in,”​ ​Edelblum​ ​said.​ ​“And​ ​if​ ​you​ ​enhance the​ ​migration,​ ​fewer​ ​of​ ​them​ ​get​ ​in.” Other​ ​researchers​ ​have​ ​shown​ ​that​ ​the​ ​cells​ ​secrete​ ​an​ ​antimicrobial​ ​peptide,​ ​though​ ​it​ ​is​ ​not​ ​clear that​ ​is​ ​what​ ​keeps​ ​the​ ​bacteria​ ​from​ ​getting​ ​across. These​ ​sentinels​ ​are​ ​not​ ​compromised​ ​in​ ​people​ ​with​ ​Crohn’s​ ​or​ ​colitis,​ ​Edelblum​ ​said.​ ​Rather,​ ​she hopes​ ​there​ ​might​ ​be​ ​a​ ​way​ ​to​ ​enhance​ ​their​ ​activity​ ​to​ ​strengthen​ ​a​ ​patient’s​ ​defenses​ ​against​ ​the disease. They​ ​appear​ ​to​ ​be​ ​among​ ​the​ ​immune​ ​system’s​ ​first​ ​lines​ ​of​ ​defense,​ ​springing​ ​into​ ​action​ ​long before​ ​inflammation​ ​sets​ ​in. She​ ​is​ ​intent​ ​on​ ​finding​ ​what​ ​causes​ ​the​ ​sentinels​ ​to​ ​migrate.​ ​Some​ ​signal​ ​from​ ​the​ ​bacteria,​ ​perhaps. For​ ​now,​ ​Edelblum​ ​keeps​ ​her​ ​own​ ​disease​ ​at​ ​bay​ ​with​ ​immunosupressive​ ​drugs,​ ​receiving intravenous​ ​infusions​ ​every​ ​10​ ​weeks.​ ​With​ ​careful​ ​management​ ​of​ ​her​ ​disease,​ ​she​ ​has​ ​not​ ​had​ ​a flare-up​ ​in​ ​14​ ​years. But​ ​the​ ​suppressed​ ​immune​ ​system​ ​led​ ​to​ ​the​ ​case​ ​of​ ​shingles​ ​a​ ​few​ ​years​ ​ago,​ ​and​ ​it​ ​makes​ ​her​ ​wary of​ ​sneezing​ ​coworkers.​ ​And​ ​past​ ​flare-ups​ ​have​ ​left​ ​her​ ​with​ ​lesions​ ​in​ ​her​ ​colon,​ ​hence​ ​the​ ​need​ ​to avoid​ ​popcorn​ ​and​ ​raspberries​ ​–​ ​too​ ​irritating. She​ ​continues​ ​to​ ​advise​ ​others​ ​with​ ​inflammatory​ ​bowel​ ​disease,​ ​and​ ​in​ ​one​ ​case​ ​went​ ​a​ ​step​ ​further, inviting​ ​a​ ​patient​ ​from​ ​the​ ​summer​ ​camp​ ​to​ ​come​ ​work​ ​with​ ​her​ ​for​ ​a​ ​few​ ​months. The​ ​microscopic​ ​sentinels​ ​on​ ​her​ ​computer​ ​screen​ ​may​ ​not​ ​end​ ​up​ ​holding​ ​the​ ​answer.​ ​But​ ​Edelblum is​ ​determined​ ​to​ ​serve​ ​as​ ​a​ ​human​ ​sentinel​ ​so​ ​long​ ​as​ ​the​ ​disease​ ​poses​ ​a​ ​threat.

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