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Arthritis & Clinical Immunology Research Program

What We Do

The human immune system is critical for protection against infections and cancer, but diseases of the immune system can be devastating. These include allergic responses, immunodeficiencies and immune reactions directed against self, called autoimmunity. Autoimmune diseases afflict at least one in twelve Americans and are a leading cause of disability and early death in young women of child-bearing age. Our mission is to improve the lives of patients through a continuum of basic mechanistic studies, clinical research, industry collaborations and clinical care.

Scientists in Arthritis and Clinical Immunology focus on understanding systemic autoimmunity and deciphering basic immunologic concepts. Our studies address the etiology, pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms of complex human autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory myositis, multiple sclerosis (MS) and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. Our studies on immune development and mechanisms of immune protection or perturbation have broad impact on immune responses to vaccination or infection.

Our investigators use a wide range of genetic, genomic, proteomic, immunologic and molecular approaches. To facilitate these patient-oriented research activities, some of our scientists are also developing novel methods to mine large datasets and evaluate complex human genetic diseases.

In addition, the Arthritis and Clinical Immunology program houses resources that are essential for many investigators in our program and in the larger autoimmune disease research community. These include the Biorepository Core, Clinical Immunology Laboratory, Myositis Testing Laboratory, Human Antibody Core, Quantitative Analysis Core, Clinical Genomics Center and Phenotyping Core. Many of these cores were established and funded through ongoing federal grants, leveraging equipment purchased and serviced by OMRF. Our investigators also benefit from departmental journal clubs, seminar series, intentional mentorship and collaborative, multi-investigator scientific projects.

Our Publications

2021

McKernan P, Virani NA, Faria GNF, Karch CG, Prada Silvy R, Resasco DE, Thompson LF, Harrison RG. Targeted Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for Photothermal Therapy Combined with Immune Checkpoint Inhibition for the Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer. Nanoscale Res Lett 16:9, 2021 January, PMID: 33411055

Zhu JL, Tran LT, Smith M, Zheng F, Cai L, James JA, Guthridge JM, Chong BF. Modular gene analysis reveals distinct molecular signatures for cutaneous lupus patient subsets. Br J Dermatol, 2021 January, PMID: 33400293

Ortiz Fernández L, Coit P, Yilmaz V, Yentür SP, Alibaz-Oner F, Aksu K, Erken E, Düzgün N, Keser G, Cefle A, Yazici A, Ergen A, Alpsoy E, Salvarani C, Casali B, Kısacık B, Kötter I, Henes J, Çınar M, Schaefer A, Nohutcu RM, Zhernakova A, Wijmenga C, Takeuchi F, Harihara S, Kaburaki T, Messedi M, Song YW, Kaşifoğlu T, Carmona FD, Guthridge JM, James JA, Martin J, González Escribano MF, Saruhan-Direskeneli G, Direskeneli H, Sawalha AH. Genetic association of a gain of function interferon gamma receptor 1 (IFNGR1) polymorphism and the intergenic region LNCAROD/DKK1 with Behçet's disease. Arthritis Rheumatol, 2021 January, PMID: 33393726


2020

Jørgensen TN, Kovats S, Lotter H. Editorial: Effects of Androgens on Immunity to Self and Foreign. Front Immunol 11:630066, 2020 December, PMID: 33408721, PMCID: PMC7779623

Bajana S, Thomas K, Georgescu C, Zhao Y, Wren JD, Kovats S, Sun XH. Augmenting E Protein Activity Impairs cDC2 Differentiation at the Pre-cDC Stage. Front Immunol 11:577718, 2020 December, PMID: 33391258, PMCID: PMC7775562

Tsaliki M, Koelsch KA, Chambers A, Talsania M, Scofield RH, Chakravarty EF. Ovarian antibodies among SLE women with premature menopause after cyclophosphamide. Int J Rheum Dis, 2020 December, PMID: 33300669

Garman L, Pelikan RC, Rasmussen A, Lareau CA, Savoy KA, Deshmukh US, Bagavant H, Levin AM, Daouk S, Drake WP, Montgomery CG. Single Cell Transcriptomics Implicate Novel Monocyte and T Cell Immune Dysregulation in Sarcoidosis. Front Immunol 11:567342, 2020 December, PMID: 33363531, PMCID: PMC7753017

Bagavant H, Deshmukh US. Protocols for Experimental Sjögren's Syndrome. Curr Protoc Immunol 131:e114, 2020 December, PMID: 33252847

Raj P, Song R, Zhu H, Riediger L, Jun DJ, Liang C, Arana C, Zhang B, Gao Y, Wakeland BE, Dozmorov I, Zhou J, Kelly JA, Lauwerys BR, Guthridge JM, Olsen NJ, Nath SK, Pasare C, van Oers N, Gilkeson G, Tsao BP, Gaffney PM, Gregersen PK, James JA, Zuo X, Karp DR, Li QZ, Wakeland EK. Deep sequencing reveals a DAP1 regulatory haplotype that potentiates autoimmunity in systemic lupus erythematosus. Genome Biol 21:281, 2020 November, PMID: 33213505, PMCID: PMC7677828

Izda V, Jeffries MA, Sawalha AH. COVID-19: A review of therapeutic strategies and vaccine candidates. Clin Immunol:108634, 2020 November, PMID: 33217545, PMCID: PMC7670907

Park EH, Ha YJ, Kang EH, Song YW, Scofield RH, Lee YJ. Baseline disease activity influences subsequent achievement of patient acceptable symptom state in Sjögren's syndrome. Rheumatology (Oxford), 2020 November, PMID: 33188390

Isenberg DA, Kao AH, Aydemir A, Merrill JT. Commentary: Systematic Review of Safety and Efficacy of Atacicept in Treating Immune-Mediated Disorders. Front Immunol 11:592639, 2020 November, PMID: 33262771, PMCID: PMC7687657

Legge A, Kirkland S, Rockwood K, Andreou P, Bae SC, Gordon C, Romero-Diaz J, Sanchez-Guerrero J, Wallace DJ, Bernatsky S, Clarke AE, Merrill JT, Ginzler EM, Fortin PR, Gladman DD, Urowitz MB, Bruce IN, Isenberg DA, Rahman A, Alarcón GS, Petri M, Khamashta MA, Dooley MA, Ramsey-Goldman R, Manzi S, Zoma AA, Aranow C, Mackay M, Ruiz-Irastorza G, Lim SS, Inanc M, van Vollenhoven RF, Jonsen A, Nived O, Ramos-Casals M, Kamen DL, Kalunian KC, Jacobsen S, Peschken CA, Askanase A, Hanly JG. Prediction of hospitalizations in systemic lupus erythematosus using the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics Frailty Index (SLICC-FI). Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken), 2020 November, PMID: 33152181

Mamyrova G, Kishi T, Shi M, Targoff IN, Huber AM, Curiel RV, Miller FW, Rider LG, Childhood Myositis Heterogeneity Collaborative Study Group.. Anti-MDA5 autoantibodies associated with juvenile dermatomyositis constitute a distinct phenotype in North America. Rheumatology (Oxford), 2020 November, PMID: 33140079

Farris AD, Guthridge JM. Overlapping B cell pathways in severe COVID-19 and lupus. Nat Immunol, 2020 November, PMID: 33139917

Tripathi A, Lin E, Xie W, Flaifel A, Steinharter JA, Stern Gatof EN, Bouchard G, Fleischer JH, Martinez-Chanza N, Gray C, Mantia C, Thompson L, Wei XX, Giannakis M, McGregor BA, Choueiri TK, Agarwal N, McDermott DF, Signoretti S, Harshman LC. Prognostic significance and immune correlates of CD73 expression in renal cell carcinoma. J Immunother Cancer 8, 2020 November, PMID: 33177176, PMCID: PMC7661372

Bagavant H, Michrowska A, Deshmukh US. The NZB/W F1 mouse model for Sjögren's syndrome: A historical perspective and lessons learned. Autoimmun Rev:102686, 2020 October, PMID: 33131691, PMCID: PMC7781068

Kishi T, Warren-Hicks W, Bayat N, Targoff IN, Huber AM, Ward MM, Rider LG, with the Childhood Myositis Heterogeneity Study Group .. Corticosteroid discontinuation, complete clinical response and remission in juvenile dermatomyositis. Rheumatology (Oxford), 2020 October, PMID: 33067611

Lee AS, Scofield RH, Hammitt KM, Gupta N, Thomas DE, Moua T, Ussavarungsi K, St Clair EW, Meehan R, Dunleavy K, Makara M, Carsons SE, Carteron NL. Consensus Guidelines for Evaluation and Management of Pulmonary Disease in Sjögren's. Chest, 2020 October, PMID: 33075377

Williams JN, Dall'Era M, Lim SS, Feldman CH, Arntsen KA, Blazer AD, Goode T, Merrill JT, Sheikh S, Stevens AM, Lipsky PE, Costenbader KH. Increasing Ancestral Diversity in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Clinical Studies. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken), 2020 October, PMID: 33026693

Ugarte-Gil MF, Gamboa-Cardenas RV, Reátegui-Sokolova C, Pimentel-Quiroz VR, Zeña-Huancas P, Elera-Fitzcarrald C, Garcia-Hirsh S, Gil L, Pastor-Asurza CA, Rodriguez-Bellido Z, Merrill J, Askanase AD, Alarcon G, Perich-Campos RA. Evaluation of the LFA-REAL clinician-reported outcome (ClinRO) and patient-reported outcome (PRO): data from the Peruvian Almenara Lupus Cohort. Lupus Sci Med 7, 2020 October, PMID: 33046557, PMCID: PMC7552838

Rasmussen A, Scofield RH. Drs. Rasmussen and Scofield reply. J Rheumatol, 2020 September, PMID: 32934135

Rasmussen A, Scofield RH. Drs. Rasmussen and Scofield reply. J Rheumatol, 2020 September, PMID: 32934128

Ratliff ML, Garton J, James JA, Webb CF. ARID3a expression in human hematopoietic stem cells is associated with distinct gene patterns in aged individuals. Immun Ageing 17:24, 2020 September, PMID: 32905435, PMCID: PMC7469297

Bernatsky S, Ramsey-Goldman R, Urowitz MB, Hanly JG, Gordon C, Petri MA, Ginzler EM, Wallace DJ, Bae SC, Romero-Diaz J, Dooley MA, Peschken CA, Isenberg DA, Rahman A, Manzi S, Jacobsen S, Lim SS, van Vollenhoven R, Nived O, Kamen DL, Aranow C, Ruiz-Irastorza G, Sanchez-Guerrero J, Gladman DD, Fortin PR, Alarcón GS, Merrill JT, Kalunian KC, Ramos-Casals M, Steinsson K, Zoma A, Askanase A, Khamashta MA, Bruce I, Inanc M, Clarke AE. Cancer risk in a large inception SLE cohort: Effects of demographics, smoking, and medications. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken), 2020 August, PMID: 32813314

Vollmer TL, Cohen JA, Alvarez E, Nair KV, Boster A, Katz J, Pardo G, Pei J, Raut P, Merchant S, MacLean E, Pradhan A, Moss B. Safety results of administering ocrelizumab per a shorter infusion protocol in patients with primary progressive and relapsing multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler Relat Disord 46:102454, 2020 August, PMID: 33045496

Igoe A, Merjanah S, Scofield RH. Sjögren Syndrome and Cancer. Rheum Dis Clin North Am 46:513-532, 2020 August, PMID: 32631601

Merrill JT, Erkan D, Winakur J, James JA. Emerging evidence of a COVID-19 thrombotic syndrome has treatment implications. Nat Rev Rheumatol, 2020 July, PMID: 32733003, PMCID: PMC7391481

Chitrakar A, Budda SA, Henderson JG, Axtell RC, Zenewicz LA. E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Von Hippel-Lindau Protein Promotes Th17 Differentiation. J Immunol, 2020 July, PMID: 32690659

Chakka S, Krain RL, Ahmed S, Concha JSS, Feng R, Merrill JT, Werth VP. Evaluating Change in Disease Activity Needed to Reflect Meaningful Improvement in Quality of Life for Clinical Trials in Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus. J Am Acad Dermatol, 2020 July, PMID: 32682879

Shah HB, Smith K, Scott Ii EJ, Larabee JL, James JA, Ballard JD, Lang ML. Human C. difficile toxin-specific memory B cell repertoires encode poorly-neutralizing antibodies. JCI Insight, 2020 July, PMID: 32663199, PMCID: PMC7455132

Popescu NI, Keshari RS, Cochran J, Coggeshall KM, Lupu F. C3 Opsonization of Anthrax Bacterium and Peptidoglycan Supports Recognition and Activation of Neutrophils. Microorganisms 8, 2020 July, PMID: 32668703, PMCID: PMC7409185

Joachims ML, Leehan KM, Dozmorov MG, Georgescu C, Pan Z, Lawrence C, Marlin MC, Macwana S, Rasmussen A, Radfar L, Lewis DM, Stone DU, Grundahl K, Scofield RH, Lessard CJ, Wren JD, Thompson LF, Guthridge JM, Sivils KL, Moore JS, Farris AD. Sjögren's Syndrome Minor Salivary Gland CD4 Memory T Cells Associate with Glandular Disease Features and have a Germinal Center T Follicular Helper Transcriptional Profile. J Clin Med 9, 2020 July, PMID: 32650575, PMCID: PMC7408878

Dunn CM, Velasco C, Rivas A, Andrews M, Garman C, Jacob PB, Jeffries MA. Identification of Cartilage Microbial DNA Signatures and Associations With Knee and Hip Osteoarthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol 72:1111-1122, 2020 July, PMID: 31961065, PMCID: PMC7336391

Papinska J, Bagavant H, Gmyrek GB, Deshmukh US. Pulmonary Involvement in a Mouse Model of Sjögren's Syndrome Induced by STING Activation. Int J Mol Sci 21, 2020 June, PMID: 32630417, PMCID: PMC7349948

Steingo B, Al Malik Y, Bass AD, Berkovich R, Carraro M, Fernández Ó, Ionete C, Massacesi L, Meuth SG, Mitsikostas DD, Pardo G, Simm RF, Traboulsee A, Choudhry Z, Daizadeh N, Compston DAS, CAMMS223, CAMMS03409, and TOPAZ Investigators.. Long-term efficacy and safety of alemtuzumab in patients with RRMS: 12-year follow-up of CAMMS223. J Neurol, 2020 June, PMID: 32583052, PMCID: PMC7578137

Guthridge CJ, Gross T, Quintero M, Kheir JM, Levin J, Bourn RL, Khan S, Peercy M, Saunkeah B, Guthridge JM, James JA. Expanded Autoantibody Profiles for Subsetting of Native American, African American, and European American Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. ACR Open Rheumatol, 2020 June, PMID: 32567819, PMCID: PMC7368137

Liu C, Yu S, Jin R, Long Y, Lu S, Song Y, Sun X, Sun XH, Zhang Y. Correlation of the levels of DNA-binding inhibitor Id3 and regulatory T cells with SLE disease severity. J Autoimmun:102498, 2020 June, PMID: 32536579

Urowitz MB, Gladman DD, Farewell V, Su J, Romero-Diaz J, Bae SC, Fortin PR, Sanchez-Guerrero J, Clarke AE, Bernatsky S, Gordon C, Hanly JG, Wallace DJ, Isenberg D, Rahman A, Merrill J, Ginzler E, Alarcón GS, Chatham WW, Petri M, Bruce IN, Khamashta M, Aranow C, Dooley M, Manzi S, Ramsey-Goldman R, Nived O, Jönsen A, Steinsson K, Zoma A, Ruiz-Irastorza G, Lim S, Kalunian KC, Ỉnanç M, van Vollenhoven R, Ramos-Casals M, Kamen DL, Jacobsen S, Peschken C, Askanase A, Stoll T. Accrual of atherosclerotic vascular events in a multicentre inception SLE cohort. Arthritis Rheumatol, 2020 June, PMID: 32515554

Hahn J, Leatherwood C, Malspeis S, Liu X, Lu B, Roberts AL, Sparks JA, Karlson EW, Feldman CH, Munroe ME, James JA, Kubzansky LD, Costenbader KH. Associations between daily alcohol consumption and systemic lupus erythematosus-related cytokines and chemokines among US female nurses without SLE. Lupus:961203320929427, 2020 June, PMID: 32507075, PMCID: PMC7497791

Agasing AM, Wu Q, Khatri B, Borisow N, Ruprecht K, Brandt AU, Gawde S, Kumar G, Quinn JL, Ko RM, Mao-Draayer Y, Lessard CJ, Paul F, Axtell RC. Transcriptomics and proteomics reveal a cooperation between interferon and T-helper 17 cells in neuromyelitis optica. Nat Commun 11:2856, 2020 June, PMID: 32503977, PMCID: PMC7275086

Slight-Webb S, Smith M, Bylinska A, Macwana S, Guthridge C, Lu R, Merrill JT, Chakravarty E, Arriens C, Munroe ME, Maecker HT, Utz PJ, Guthridge JM, James JA. Autoantibody-positive healthy individuals with lower lupus risk display a unique immune endotype. J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2020 May, PMID: 32446964, PMCID: PMC7680268

Petri M, Goldman DW, Alarcón GS, Gordon C, Merrill JT, Fortin PR, Bruce IN, Isenberg D, Wallace D, Nived O, Ramsey-Goldman R, Bae SC, Hanly JG, Sanchez-Guerrero J, Clarke AE, Aranow C, Manzi S, Urowitz M, Gladman DD, Kalunian K, Werth VP, Zoma A, Bernatsky S, Khamashta M, Jacobsen S, Buyon JP, Dooley MA, van Vollenhoven R, Ginzler E, Stoll T, Peschken C, Jorizzo JL, Callen JP, Lim S, Inanç M, Kamen DL, Rahman A, Steinsson K, Franks AG Jr, Magder LS. A Comparison of 2019 EULAR/ACR SLE Classification Criteria with Two Sets of Earlier SLE Classification Criteria. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken), 2020 May, PMID: 32433832

Dumas EK, Demiraslan H, Ingram RJ, Sparks RM, Muns E, Zamora A, Larabee J, Garman L, Ballard JD, Boons GJ, James JA, Kayabas U, Doganay M, Farris AD. Toxin-neutralizing antibodies elicited by naturally acquired cutaneous anthrax are elevated following severe disease and appear to target conformational epitopes. PLoS One 15:e0230782, 2020 April, PMID: 32294093, PMCID: PMC7159215

Arriens C, Alexander RV, Narain S, Saxena A, Collins CE, Wallace DJ, Massarotti E, Conklin J, Kalunian KC, Putterman C, Ramsey-Goldman R, Buyon JP, Askanase A, Furie RA, James JA, Bello GA, Manzi S, Ahearn J, O'Malley T, Weinstein A, Dervieux T. Cell-bound complement activation products associate with lupus severity in SLE. Lupus Sci Med 7, 2020 April, PMID: 32371480, PMCID: PMC7228655

Arriens C, Aberle T, Carthen F, Kamp S, Thanou A, Chakravarty E, James JA, Merrill JT, Ogunsanya ME. Lupus patient decisions about clinical trial participation: a qualitative evaluation of perceptions, facilitators and barriers. Lupus Sci Med 7:e000360, 2020 March, PMID: 32201595, PMCID: PMC7073780

Guthridge JM, Lu R, Tran LT, Arriens C, Aberle T, Kamp S, Munroe ME, Dominguez N, Gross T, DeJager W, Macwana SR, Bourn RL, Apel S, Thanou A, Chen H, Chakravarty EF, Merrill JT, James JA. Adults with systemic lupus exhibit distinct molecular phenotypes in a cross-sectional study. EClinicalMedicine 20:100291, 2020 March, PMID: 32154507, PMCID: PMC7058913

Simões IT, Aranda F, Casadó-Llombart S, Velasco-de Andrés M, Català C, Álvarez P, Consuegra-Fernández M, Orta-Mascaró M, Merino R, Merino J, Alberola-Ila J, González-Aseguinolaza G, Carreras E, Martínez V, Lozano F. Multifaceted effects of soluble human CD6 in experimental cancer models. J Immunother Cancer 8, 2020 March, PMID: 32217757, PMCID: PMC7174071

Morand EF, Isenberg DA, Wallace DJ, Kao AH, Vazquez-Mateo C, Chang P, Pudota K, Aranow C, Merrill JT. Attainment of treat-to-target endpoints in SLE patients with high disease activity in the atacicept phase 2b ADDRESS II study. Rheumatology (Oxford), 2020 February, PMID: 32107560, PMCID: PMC7516108

Meyer A, Troyanov Y, Drouin J, Oligny-Longpré G, Landon-Cardinal O, Hoa S, Hervier B, Bourré-Tessier J, Mansour AM, Hussein S, Morin V, Rich E, Goulet JR, Chartrand S, Hudson M, Nehme J, Makhzoum JP, Zarka F, Villeneuve E, Raynauld JP, Landry M, O'Ferrall EK, Ferreira J, Ellezam B, Karamchandani J, Larue S, Massie R, Isabelle C, Deschênes I, Leclair V, Couture H, Targoff IN, Fritzler MJ, Senécal JL. Statin-induced anti-HMGCR myopathy: successful therapeutic strategies for corticosteroid-free remission in 55 patients. Arthritis Res Ther 22:5, 2020 January, PMID: 31915059, PMCID: PMC6950801

Hanly JG, Urowitz MB, Gordon C, Bae SC, Romero-Diaz J, Sanchez-Guerrero J, Bernatsky S, Clarke AE, Wallace DJ, Isenberg DA, Rahman A, Merrill JT, Fortin PR, Gladman DD, Bruce IN, Petri M, Ginzler EM, Dooley MA, Ramsey-Goldman R, Manzi S, Jönsen A, Alarcón GS, van Vollenhoven RF, Aranow C, Mackay M, Ruiz-Irastorza G, Lim S, Inanc M, Kalunian KC, Jacobsen S, Peschken CA, Kamen DL, Askanase A, Farewell V. Neuropsychiatric events in systemic lupus erythematosus: a longitudinal analysis of outcomes in an international inception cohort using a multistate model approach. Ann Rheum Dis, 2020 January, PMID: 31915121

Jeffries MA. The Development of Epigenetics in the Study of Disease Pathogenesis. Adv Exp Med Biol 1253:57-94, 2020 January, PMID: 32445091


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Arthritis & Clinical Immunology Research Program
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
825 NE 13th Street, MS 53
Oklahoma City, OK 73104

Phone: (405) 271-4987
Fax: (405) 271- 7063
Email:  judith-james@omrf.org