Autoimmune Life Blog

In August 2020, BRI Research Nurse Anna Barash, RN, gave some of the earliest doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to people in Washington. That day, she was laser-focused on following every step of a detailed protocol. The impact of her work didn’t sink in until later.

When Micah Mansfield learned that he could help scientists better understand the immune system through the Sound Life Project, he didn’t think twice about signing up.

Raising a child with type 1 diabetes takes patience. Blood sugars rise and fall unpredictably, affecting nearly every aspect of daily life. It takes attention to detail.

James Lord, MD, PhD, has a simple way of explaining the immune system. “It’s not a homogenous pot of stew,” he says. “It’s a carefully orchestrated dance, and doing the right thing at the right time is critical. But it’s very hard to predict the choreography.”

In the race for a COVID-19 vaccine, messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines finished first. This includes those made by Pfizer and Moderna. These vaccines use a new approach to fight off pathogens (germs like viruses and bacteria).

From cancer treatments to game-changing therapies for autoimmune disease, medicines and medical devices need to be tested and approved by the FDA before they can be widely used.

Without clinical research participants, we might not have groundbreaking cancer treatments like immunotherapy or vaccines for polio, rubella and other life-threatening diseases.

Celiac disease, like all autoimmune diseases, has no cure. People with the condition must adhere to a strict gluten-free diet or face symptoms like nausea, vomiting, ulcers and intestinal damage.

Gretchen Schoenstein, who lives with multiple autoimmune diseases, has run 89 half-marathons. But at the height of the pandemic, lacing up her shoes to run just one mile might have been an even bigger accomplishment.

From fear of contracting the virus to the isolation it causes, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought stress to most aspects of life.