The Sjögren’s Foundation strives to recognize excellence in research by investigators who present Sjögren’s-related work at professional conferences.
Currently, we attend the American College of Rheumatology’s Annual Meeting and award the Sjögren’s Foundation Outstanding Abstract Award, which recognizes exceptional research and encourages investigators to continue to focus on Sjögren’s throughout their career.
2020-2023 Award Recipients
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting- ACR Convergence 2023
Outstanding Abstract Award Co-Winners
Maxwell Parker
University of Wisconsin, USA
Abstract #1367: Novel Autoantibodies Might Circumvent the Need for Labial Biopsy in a Subset of Seronegative Sjögren’s Disease Patients
View Abstract
Honorable Mention
José Miguel Sequí-Sabater, MD, MSc
Hospital Universitari de la Ribera
Abstract #0020: The Inflammatory Proteome in Sjögren’s Syndrome Identifies New Biomarkers and Relevant Clinical Subgroups
View Abstract
Andre Goules, MD
University of Athens
Abstract #2183: Evolution of Lymphoma Predictors in Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome by Data Driven Analysis in Harmonized Patients
View Abstract
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting- ACR Convergence 2022
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting- ACR Convergence 2021
Outstanding Abstract Award Co-Winners
Sara S. McCoy, MD, MS
University of Wisconsin, USA
Abstract #1440: Targeting Endogenous Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Response to Interferon-γ in Sjögren’s
View Abstract – (PDF – 680KB)
Abstract #985: Sjögren’s Symptom Burden Drives Immunomodulatory Therapies but Correlates Poorly with Disease Severity Markers
View Abstract – (PDF – 706KB)
Ilir I. Cinoku, MD
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
Abstract #1908: Interferon (IFN)-Stimulated Gene 15: A Novel Biomarker for Lymphoma Development in Sjögren’s
View Abstract – (PDF – 692KB)
Honorable Mention
Francesco Ferro, MD
University of Pisa, Italy
Abstract #312: Prognostic Value of Salivary Gland Ultrasonography in Sjögren’s
View Abstract – (PDF – 386KB)
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting- ACR Convergence 2020
Outstanding Abstract Award Winner
Sherri Longobardi
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK
Abstract: Novel Shared Antibody Specificities in Ro Antibody Negative Sjögren’s Syndrome
View Abstract - (PDF - 433 KB)
2010-2019 Award Recipients
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Pierre-Marie Duret, MD, MSc
Hopitaux civils de Colmar, COLMAR CEDEX, France
Abstract: BTK Overexpression is Associated with the Risk of Lymphoma in Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome: Data from Whole Blood Transcriptome of 346 Patients Followed-up Prospectively for 10 Years
View Abstract (PDF - 378 KB)
Honorable Mention
Jolien F. van Nimwegen, MD
University Medical Center Gronigen, University of Gronigen, Gronigen, Netherlands
Abstract: Pathogenesis of Vaginal Dryness in Primary Sjögren’s Syndome: A Histopathological Case-Control Study
View Abstract (PDF - 372 KB)
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Lauro Meneghel, MSc, PhD
Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital
Abstract: Clinical Correlations and Expression Pattern of Autoimmunity Susceptibility Factor Diora-1 in Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome
View Abstract (PDF - 374 KB)
Honorable Mention
Saviana Gandolfo, MD
Rheumatology Clinic, Academic Hospital S.M. della Misericordia, Medical Area Department, University of Udine
Abstract: Serum Levels of Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin: A Possible Novel Biomarker in Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome and Related Lymphoproliferation
View Abstract (PDF - 387 KB)
Honorable Mention
Elodie Rivière, MD
Immunology of Viral Infections and Autoimmune Diseases,
IDMIT, CEA, Universitè Paris Sud - INSERM U1184
Abstract: RNA Sequencing Detection of Gene Dysregulation in B Cells Sorted from Salivary Gland Tissue and from Peripheral Blood Reveals New Pathways Involved in Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome
View Abstract (PDF - 503 KB)
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Katrine Brække Norheim, MD, PhD
Clinical Immunology Department, Stavenger University Hospital, Stavenger, Norway
Abstract: Genetic Determinants of Fatigue in Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome - A Genome Wide Association Study
View Abstract (PDF - 463 KB)
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Jessica Tarn, PhD
Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom
Abstract: The Effect of Non-Invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Fatigue and Immune Responses in Patients with Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome
View Abstract (PDF - 461 KB)
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Nadia Howard-Tripp, MA, MBSS
Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom
Abstract: Rethinking Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome: Stratification by Clinical Phenotypes to Improve Understanding of Disease Pathogenesis, Trial Design, Clinical Management and Prospective Health Gains?
View Abstract (PDF - 528 KB)
Honorable Mention
Syed Muhammad Shakaib Quadri, MD
Oklahoma Health Science Center and Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Abstract: The Unusual Cross-Reactivity of Anti Muscarinic Receptor 3 Monoclonal Antibodies Derived from Salivary Glands of Sjögren’s Syndrome Patients to Ro Peptides.
View Abstract (PDF - 42 KB)
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Erlin A. Haacke, MD
University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, Netherlands
Abstract: Salivary Gland FcRL4+ B-Cells Are a Potential Source of Progenitor Cells for MALT Lymphoma in Primary Sjögren's
View Abstract (PDF - 285 KB)
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Maria B Lauvsnes, MD, PhD
Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway
Abstract: Hippocampal Atrophy Is Associated with Anti-NR2 Antibodies in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Primary Sjögren's Syndrome
View Abstract (PDF - 335 KB)
Honorable Mention
Jessica Tarn
Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Abstract: Whole Blood microRNA Signature for Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome-Related Lymphoma
View Abstract (PDF - 479 KB)
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Gaétane Nocturne, MD
Paris-Sud University, Paris, France
Abstract: The NKp30/B7H6 Axis Contributes to Pathogenesis in Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome
View Abstract (PDF - 119 KB)
Honorable Mention
Chiara Baldini, MD, PhD
Rheumatology Unit, University of Pisa, Italy
Abstract: Damage Accrual in a Single Centre Cohort of Patients with Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome Followed up for Over 10 Years
View Abstract (PDF - 72 KB)
Honorable Mention
Julie Barsalou, MD, FRCPC
Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
Abstract: The Effect of Maternal Antimalarial Intake During Pregnancy on the Risk of Neonatal Lupus
View Abstract (PDF - 121 KB)
Honorable Mention
Paraskevi Briasouli, PhD
NYU School of Medicine, Department of Rheumatology, New York, NY
Abstract: Binding of Apoptotic Fetal Cardiocytes by Anti-Ro Antibodies Stimulates uPA/uPAR-Dependent Macrophage Infiltration and M2 Type Phenotype
View Abstract (PDF - 118 KB)
Honorable Mention
Sandrine Jousse-Joulin, MD
CHU Brest, France
Abstract: Ultrasonographic Salivary Glands Response To Rituximab In pSS Patients In the Tolerance & Efficacy Of Rituximab In Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome Study Is Not Associated With The Anatomopathology Changes
View Abstract (PDF - 117 KB)
Abstract: Is Ultrasonography of Salivary Gland a Validate Tool in Sjögren’s Syndrome?
View Abstract (PDF - 72 KB)
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Hongen Yin, MD, PhD
NIH/NIDCR
Abstract: Overexpression of BMP6 Is Associated with Loss of Salivary Gland Activity in Sjögren's Syndrome Patients and Mice
View Abstract (PDF - 52 KB)
Honorable Mention
Chang-Fu Kuo, MD
University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
Abstract: Sibling Relative Risk and Heritability of Sjögren’s Syndrome: A Nationwide Population Study in Taiwan
View Abstract (PDF - 152 KB)
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Joanne H. Reed, PhD
New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York
Abstract: A Point Mutation in the SSA/Ro60 Autoantigen Which Prevents Y RNA Binding Attenuates a Requisite Signal for Cell Surface Expression and TLR-Dependent Inflammation Syndrome
View Abstract (PDF - 232 KB)
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Kaleb M. Pauley, PhD
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Abstract: Receptor-Mediated Small Interfering RNA Delivery in Sjogren's Syndrome
View Abstract (PDF - 239 KB)
Honorable Mention
Nienke Roescher, MD, MSc
Academic Medical Center-University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Abstract: Local TACI-lg Gene Therapy of the Salivary Gland of NOD Mice Reduces Auto-Immune Inflammation by Affecting the B Cell Compartment
View Abstract (PDF - 315 KB)
Honorable Mention
Jacques-Olivier Pers, DDS, PhD
Brest University, Brest, France
Abstract: Δ4BAFF, an Alternate-Splice Isoform That Acts as a Transcription Factor To Enhance BAFF Production in Primary Sjögren's Syndrome
View Abstract (PDF - 359 KB)
Association for Research in Vision and Opthhalmology
Raheleh Rahimi Darabad, MD
Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
Abstract: Sex and Androgen Affects on Gene Expression in Autoimmune Lacrimal Glands
View Abstract (PDF - 60 KB)
2000-2009 Award Recipients
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Seshagiri Rao Nandula, PhD
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
Abstract: Activation of Innate Immunity Leads to Accelerated Development of Sjogren's Syndrome-Like Disorder in NZB/W F1 Mice
View Abstract (PDF - 10 KB)
Association for Research in Vision and Opthhalmology
James Mun, PhD-candidate
School of Optometry, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California
Abstract: Pre-exposure of Corneal Epithelial Cells to Human Tear Fluid Induces Protective Activity Against P. aeruginosa Virulence Mechanism
View Abstract (PDF - 63 KB)
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Angela Bikker, MSc
University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
Abstract: Increased IL-7 expression correlates with immunopathology in exocrine glands of patients with SS and drives Th-1 associated immune responses
View Abstract (PDF - 68 KB)
Honorable Mention
Gunnel Nordmark, MD, PhD
Medical Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
With colleagues from Malmö. Linköping, Stockholm, and Lund in Sweden and two institutes in Bergen, Norway
Abstract: Additive effects of major risk alleles of IRF6 and Stat 4 in primary Sjögren’s syndrome
View Abstract (PDF - 14 KB)
Honorable Mention
Association for Research in Vision and Opthhalmology
Shivaram Selvam, PhD-candidate
Ocular Surface Center, Doheny Eye Institute, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California
Abstract: Impact of chronic stimulation with carbachol, histamine and serotonin on ion transport in a novel, chloride-secreting rabbit lacrimal acinar cell monolayer model
View Abstract (PDF - 75 KB)
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Maria I. Christodoulou, BSc, PhD-Candidate and Efstathia K. Kapsogeorgou, PhD
Department of Pathophysiology, School of Medicine, National University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Abstract: FOXP3+ T Regulatory Cells (Tregs) in the Autoimmune Lesions of Sjögren’s Syndrome (SS): Correlation with the Number of the Infiltrating Dendritic Cells and Macrophages
View Abstract
Honorable Mention
Marc Ittah, PhD
INSERM U802, Université Paris Sud, Rhumatologie Hopital de Bicêtre, Paris, France
Abstract: Induce High Expression of BAFF mRNA and Protein by Salivary Epithelial Cells Through TLR3 / Type 1-Interferon -Dependant and -Independent Pathways
View Abstract (PDF - 13 KB)
Honorable Mention
Linn Strandberg, PhD, and Aurelie Ambrosi, MSc
Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Abstract: Interferon-Alpha Induces Up-Regulation and Nuclear Translocation of the Ro52 Autoantigen
View Abstract (PDF - 13 KB)
Association for Research in Vision and Opthhalmology
Shaohui Liu, MD, PhD
Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School
Abstract: Aromatase Influence on Gene Expression in the Meibomian Gland
View Abstract (PDF - 76 KB)
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Eshrat Emamian, DDS
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Abstract: Comparison of Gene Expression Profiles Between Patients with Sjögren's Syndrome and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
View Abstract (PDF - 15 KB)
Association for Research in Vision and Opthhalmology
Louis Tong, MBBS, FRCS, DM
Ocular Surface Center, Cullen Eye Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Abstract: Transglutaminase-2 Mediates p65 Translocation from Cytoplasm to Nucleus in the UVB-activated NF-kappaB Pathway
View Abstract (PDF - 504 KB)
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Jacques-Eric Gottenberg, MD, PhD , France
Innate Immunity and Interferon Signaling Pathways: A Pivotal Pathogenic Role in Epithelial Cells of Salivary Glands and Ocular Surface in Primary Sjögren's Syndrome
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Ashish K. Sharma , University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Tumor Necrosis Factor-Induced Apoptosis in Corneal Epithelial Cells Is Attenuated by Novel Lacrimal Glycoprotein, Lacritin
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Biji Kurien, PhD, Oklahoma Research Medical Foundation (ORMF)
Adoptive Transfer of Lymphocytes from Mice with Sjögren’s-Like Syndrome Transfers Disease into Naïve Mice
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Lihui Luo, MD , Baylor College of Medicine, Dallas, TX
Hyperosmolarity Induces Apoptosis through a cytochrome c-mediated death pathway and MAPK activation in human corneal epithelial cells
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Marc R. Kok, MD , National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
"Local Adeno-Associated Virus Mediated IL-10 Gene Transfer has Disease Modifying Effects in a Murine Model of Sjögren's Syndrome"
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Lihui Luo, MD , Baylor College of Medicine, Dallas, TX
"Experimental dry eye induces expression of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1Beta and TNF-Alpha), MMP-9 and activated MAPK by the corneal epithelium"
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Frédéric Lavie, MD , Bicetre Hospital, INSERM EMI 0109, Paris-Sud University, France
RANK and RANKL Expression in Salivary Glands from Patients with Primary Sjögren's Syndrome
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Helline B. Paz MD , Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Mucin Packaging in the Conjunctival Goblet Cells of Vitamin D Receptor Ablated Mice
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Dr. Nicole Amft , University of Birmingham (United Kingdom)
Constitutive Chemokine and Chemokine Receptor Expression Contributes to the Pattern of Inflammatory Cell Infiltrates in Sjögren's Syndrome
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Staci C. Walton , University of Virginia
Functional Analysis of Lacritin: Secretion Modulations, Cell Proliferation, Calcium Signaling, and Tyrosine Phosphorylation.
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Yoko Ogawa, MD , Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
Ultrastructural and immunohistochemic studies of lacrimal gland in patients with chronic graft-versus host disease
1995-1999 Award Recipients
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Jennifer Cermak, PhD
Schepens Eye Research Institute, Boston, MA
The role of androgens in dry eye
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Sally Waterman, PhD
University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia
Autoantibodies against muscarinic receptors in bot primary and secondary Sjögren's syndrome alter marine bladder contractility and are associated with autonomic symptoms
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Yolanda Diebold, PhD
Institute of Ophthalmology, Valladolid University, Valladolid, Spain
A confocal study of lectin binding sites in cultured conjunctival epithelium
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Maureen Rischmueller, MD
The Queens Elizabeth Hospital, South Australia
Salivary gland apoptosis in primary Sjögren's syndrome: A controlled study
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Mary Polihronis, PhD
National University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Modes of epithelial cell death and repair in Sjögren's syndrome
Second International Conference on the Lacrimal Gland, Tear Film and Dry Eye Syndromes: Basic Science and Clinical Relevance
Ikuko Toda
Schepens Eye Research Institute, Boston, MA
Gender and androgen-related impact on the expression of proto-oncogenes and apoptotic factors in lacrimal and salivary glands of mouse models for Sjögren's syndrome
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Mariana J. Kaplan, MD
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Is the liver a common extraglandular target in primary Sjögren's syndrome?
1996 Conference on Salivary Gland Biogenesis and Function
Thomas R. Esch, PhD
Autoantibodies in salivary hypofunction in the NOD mouse
American College of Rheumatology Scientific Meeting
Douglas A. Jabs, MD
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Immunopathogenesis of lacrimal gland inflammation in MRL/Mplprllpr mice