Autoimmune Life Blog

In 2016, two of BRI's information technology experts Garrett Wright and Tom Skillman had a conversation that sparked a novel question: Could virtual reality (VR) headsets let scientists step inside cells and view them in greater detail than ever before? 

Veterans and military members, especially women of color, are more likely to have lupus than the general public — possibly because they’re exposed to toxic chemicals, stress and PTSD. That’s why the U.S.

Lupus is one of the most difficult autoimmune diseases to diagnose and treat. Clinicians and researchers at Virginia Mason and Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason (BRI) are leaders in looking for causes and cures of the disease.

"If it wasn’t for the Murdock Trust helping us with essential pieces of equipment and new technology for over 30 years, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve our cutting-edge research advancements,” says BRI President Jane Buckner, MD.

A critical factor in whether people develop an autoimmune disease is “cell communication.”  BRI principal investigator Adam Lacy-Hulbert, PhD, is studying cell communication in the gut.

This research update is on a variety of studies that BRI is conducting or collaborating on with other institutions. They are tackling various scientific and immunologic questions that explore innovative ways to fight MS from the lab to clinical studies.

“You can’t lay tracks until you know where the train is going,” says BRI Director Gerald Nepom, MD, PhD. “In immunology research, that translates into discovering what the immune system cells are doing and identifying their different roles.

Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason (BRI) is relatively small compared to large research universities, but its impact goes well beyond its size and location, accelerating scientific discovery globally.

BRI Associate Investigator Adam Lacy-Hulbert, PhD, and his team of researchers, including Affiliate Investigator Lynda Stuart, MD, PhD, recently joined BRI. They bring new expertise in Inflamatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and the basic functioning of the immune system. Dr.

The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is growing, affecting greater numbers of people in more countries worldwide. Inflammatory bowel disease includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.