Dat Q. Tran, M.D., assistant professor of allergy/immunology at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, is available to discuss the involvement of immune cells in autoimmune and auto-inflammatory diseases and the therapeutic applications of these cells, particularly regulatory T cells, to control inflammation, immune dysregulation and autoimmunity. Tran is an allergy/immunology specialist for Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital.

Yang Xia, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, provided pre-clinical evidence suggesting that a potentially deadly pregnancy complication known as pre-eclampsia could be an autoimmune disease. Her research has appeared in major publications. Co-investigators include Rodney E. Kellems, Ph.D., professor and chairman of UT Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Xia can answer questions on priapism and cardiovascular diseases as well.

Jerry S. Wolinsky, M.D., is professor of neurology and director of the Multiple Sclerosis Research Group and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis Center at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston. He is active in the design, implementation, conduct and analysis of clinical trials of multiple sclerosis and has authored more than 200 publications on neurovirology and neuroimmunology. He serves or has served on review and advisory committees of the National Institutes of Health, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Food and Drug Administration. Wolinsky is also a member of the graduate faculty of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at The University of Texas.

Xiaodong Zhou, M.D., an associate professor in the Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunogenetics at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, is researching the impact of silica and other environmental factors on the development of scleroderma. He is in the midst of 4-year study comparing scleroderma patients and healthy men and women. He can answer questions about systemic sclerosis and ankylosing spondylitis with particular emphasis on gene-environment interactions and complex genetic networks.

Source: of Texas Health Science Center at Houston