GSDM Faculty Co-author Chapter in Newly Published Book on Autoimmunity
Research Associate Professor in the Department of General Dentistry Dr. Sok-Ja Janket and Group Practice Leader and Assistant Professor in the Departments of General Dentistry and Periodontology Dr. Eleni Kanasi contributed a chapter to a new book titled, Infection and Autoimmunity, 2nd Edition, which was published by Elsevier in January 2015.
Their chapter titled, “Oral Infections and Autoimmune Diseases,” discusses the potential causal role oral infections may play in triggering the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Highly associated with genetics and oral infections, autoimmune diseases may be involved in the pathogenic mechanism in genetically susceptible individuals. Many autoimmune diseases manifest in the oral cavity, and while dentists are familiar with identifying and managing the symptoms, looking at the oral infection as the causative factor is a new concept. The chapter was co-authored by Dr. Alison Baird, a professor at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center. Dr. Baird is a neurologist and longtime collaborator with Dr. Janket.
The pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases involves the development of naïve T-cells into Th17 cells and leads to disease with the help of the multiple transcription factors and cytokines also expressed in oral infections. The chapter describes the molecular biology of oral infections in the framework of autoimmune pathogenesis and provides evidence of a causal relationship between oral infections and various autoimmune diseases including atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, antiphospholipid syndrome, Sjögren’s syndrome, and Crohn’s disease.
Dr. Janket was invited to write this chapter by the president of the Congress, Dr. Yehuda Shoenfeld, at the 9th International Congress on Autoimmunity last spring, after giving a well-received presentation on how salivary immunoglobulin can predict autoimmune diseases such as type 1 Diabetes. Animal modeling is a major component of the research to elucidate the pathogenesis of complex disease like autoimmune diseases, and Dr. Janket’s expertise as an epidemiologist is essential in order to translate the results from animal and in vitro studies for human populations.
Drs. Janket and Kanasi are thrilled to have their work published in such a highly regarded textbook on the interactions between infectious agents and autoimmunity. “It is great honor to be included in this textbook with so many accomplished colleagues.” said Dr. Janket.
If you are interested in picking up a copy of the book, contact Dr. Sok-Ja Janket at skjanket@bu.edu
Provided by GSDM Communications office.