Biomarkers - Diagnosis, Disease Management, & even PREVENTION?!

AiArthritis Voices 360 Full Episode 41

Air Date: August 16, 2020

This week, Tiffany and Patrice discuss the importance of biomarkers. Do biomarkers hold the key to understanding disease severity and predicting disease onset?


In this episode, we talk about biomarkers, or a measurable indicator present in the blood or tissues, and how their presence in our bodies can predict disease severity and guide treatment development. Furthermore, evidence that identifying biomarkers early - BEFORE DISEASE ONSET - could actually prevent a person from developing the disease.  Now, there is still the environmental plus genetic factors to consider, but the findings are promising. 


While the research focuses on Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), showing how those who are sero-positive - in addition to having other genetic biomarkers - have a higher likelihood of developing severe disease and bone erosion,  Tiffany points out this is similar to Axial Spondyloarthritis, where many of those with non-radiographic disease do not have the biologic HLA-B27 gene that is present in most with radiographic evidence. 


The bottom line is that learning about biomarkers can help patients navigate their own healthcare journey, but also could possibly prevent their loved ones from developing these diseases in the future. 

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Our AiArthritis Voices 360 Talk Show is just a piece of larger program - the AiArthritis Voices Program.


AiArthritis Voices is our program where people living with AiArthritis diseases and other stakeholders who we need 'at the table' to solve problems that impact education, advocacy, and research sign up to have a voice in our initiatives.


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AiArthritis Voices 360 is produced by the International Foundation for Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Arthritis. Visit us on the web at www.aiarthritis.org/talkshow. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook (@ifAiArthritis) or email us (podcast@aiarthritis.org).

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Your Co-Hosts & Guests: Who is at the table this episode?

Tiffany Westrich-Robertson

Tiffany is the CEO at International Foundation for AiArthritis and uses her professional expertise in mind-mapping and problem solving to help others, like her, who live with AiArthritis diseases work in unison to identify and solve unresolved community issues. For the last several years, she has continued her education in research, including becoming a professional focus group moderator, and translated this experience at our organization to develop award-winning, innovative projects that are taking patient engagement to next levels. 


Tiffany has served on several advisory boards, including those to advance patient voices in policy, clinical trials, and precision medicine. In addition to reviewing grants at PCORI and for the Department of Defense, she was the sole patient grant reviewer for the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin diseases from 2015-2018. She currently participates as a Patient Research Partner for OMERACT (Outcome Measures in Rheumatology), co-leads our organizations' international effort to advance patient voices in rheumatology research (the ACTion Council) and has dedicated her professional career to developing other patients to utilize their voices to impact the future of millions.


Patrice Johnson

Originally diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis 9 years ago, Patrice now has an undifferentiated diagnosis. She has also been told she has had Osteoarthritis for 35 years. Along the way she developed some comorbidities which include severe hearing loss, a Baker's cyst, osteopenia, and a vein ablation. Patrice lives in Northern California and have 2 grown children and 5 grandchildren. She loves to travel, read, and cook. 

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