POEMS Syndrome
Investigators: Ji Qiu, Ph.D.
Collaborators: Rafael Fonseca, M.D. (Mayo Clinic)
Disease Background
Who gets it?
What are the symptoms?
- POEMS is a rare blood disorder that affects multiple body systems and causes nerve damage
- Characteristics include Polyneuropathy (nerve damage causing numbness in extremities), Organomegaly (organ enlargement),
Endocrinopathy (abnormal hormone levels), M-protein (an abnormal immunoglobulin) and Skin abnormalities
- POEMS is most often diagnosed in adults over 50
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How do we detect it now?
How is it currently treated?
- Standard treatments a varied and can include treatment with corticosteroids, stem-cell transplantation, and/or chemotherapy
- If untreated, the disease is progressive and fatal
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What are the current challenges?
- It is not known what causes POEMS
- It is difficult to diagnose due to the wide array of symptoms and rarity of the disease
- Because the cause is not known, targeted therapies cannot be developed
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Our Approach
Because of the possibly connection between the immune system and POEMS syndrome, we sought to identify autoantibodies reactive in the blood of POEMS patients. In an ongoing project, we have been using the NAPPA protein array technology to identify biomarkers for this disease with the goal of it helping us better understand the cause of POEMS and develop targeted treatments for this disease.
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