Introduction

Letter from Maureen McGovern

Questions and Answers

The Immune System

Diagnosis and Treatment

MDA's Search for a Cause, Treatment and Cure

MDA's SEARCH FOR A CAUSE, TREATMENT AND CURE

MDA supports the world's most comprehensive research program on the inflammatory myopathies, work that directly helps to improve treatment for polymyositis and dermatomyositis. MDA has funded clinical trials of new drugs, and its support of research into the causes of PM and DM helps to reveal the appropriate immune system targets for treatment.

A major goal of several MDA-sponsored projects has been to identify the specific immunologic processes that lead to polymyositis and dermatomyositis. This work has led to the recognition that PM and DM are caused by different immune mechanisms, suggesting new avenues for specific treatments designed to combat the harmful immune response while preserving normal immune function.

A better understanding of the immune system and of autoimmune disease in general is likely to have the greatest impact on the understanding of polymyositis and dermatomyositis. MDA is in the forefront of research into the causes of autoimmunity, and supports studies using basic discoveries in immunology to design and test novel treatments for autoimmunity.

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