It seems there’s a commemorative day for just about everything. Today alone apparently is the Gold Cup Parade, National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day (I’m all for that), National Radio Day, and World Mosquito Day (no thanks). I recently learned that Aug. 30 is National Grief Awareness Day, which…

The other day, I was sitting on the couch recuperating from my shower. (Yes, for many people with sarcoidosis, a shower is an Olympic event that requires planning, preparation, and recovery — but that’s a story for another day.) Anyway, I was on the couch trying to relax when, suddenly,…

Hello, and welcome to my column, “Run Your Own Race.” I am honored and excited to bring my thoughts to life. Considering this is my first column, I thought it might be best to introduce myself. I am Calvin Harris, and depending on your age (and musical tastes), you might…

I didn’t realize how pulmonary sarcoidosis would affect my lifestyle until about three years ago. For years, the thought of this “obstacle” didn’t affect me. But that changed on a dime in August 2017 when I had my first spontaneous pneumothorax. I wondered how I would live my life…

A Patient Speakers’ Bureau is opening at the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR) to advocate on behalf of people with this rare disease of the immune system and bring greater awareness to it. Fourteen trained and experienced patient advocates will use their personal stories to help others in understanding…

A Phase 1/2 clinical trial testing ATYR1923 in people with pulmonary sarcoidosis has now finished all required patient visits. Results from this proof-of-concept study are expected this September. “We are pleased to complete the last patient visit in this important study, which represents a significant milestone for aTyr, our ATYR1923 clinical program and…

The use of Acthar Gel (repository corticotropin injection, or RCI) was among medications noted by both European and U.S. panels of experts, identified as a possible treatment of pulmonary sarcoidosis when other therapies fail or are not tolerated. Notably, the therapy is currently approved to treat active sarcoidosis only…

A protein called neurofilament light chain (NFL), which supports nerve fibers, is elevated in adults with neurosarcoidosis — and appears to increase with more extensive brain inflammation — a study demonstrated. These findings support the neurofilament protein as a biomarker for disease activity in neurosarcoidosis, a form of…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved beginning clinical trials testing XTMAB-16, Xentria’s investigational TNF-alpha inhibitor for the treatment of sarcoidosis. The first, a Phase 1 trial evaluating the therapy in healthy volunteers, is expected to start in July at the Parexel Baltimore Early Phase…

A researcher investigating pathogens — disease-causing microorganisms — capable of causing neurosarcoidosis has been awarded $150,000 from the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR). The FSR Sarcoidosis Research Fellowship Grant will provide Paula Barreras, MD, of the Johns Hopkins University Hospital, with two years of funding for her project. Titled…