New Beginnings

Baylor gives children with juvenile arthritis a chance for a brighter future.

Just one year ago, George and Becky Telatnyk thought their son, Joshua, was doomed to a life riddled with discomfort. Joshua had been diagnosed with systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SoJIA), for which there is no cure. His parents thought it meant the end of a normal, happy childhood for their son.

But thanks to research performed at Baylor Institute for Immunology Research (BIIR) in Dallas, today Joshua is a thriving 5-year-old.


'Just Magic'
"A week or two into the treatment, our active little boy was back again," Becky says. "The joint pain and stiffness went away, along with his other symptoms. It was just magic."


Roughly 250,000 children in the United States suffer from juvenile arthritis, with SoJIA accounting for about 10 percent of cases with unknown causes. Children with SoJIA can develop long-term disabilities, and many experience side effects from conventional treatment.

Researchers at BIIR-the immunology research component of Baylor Research Institute, an affiliate of Baylor Health Care System- wanted to find a better option for these children. Collaborating with researchers from Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas, the BIIR team began studying children with SoJIA.

Spectacular Results
Using an advanced gene analysis technique, the researchers discovered that SoJIA patients have higher-than-normal levels of certain immune system genes and a specific protein produced when part of the body is inflamed, as it is with arthritis. High levels of the protein also can intensify arthritis symptoms.

Although elevated levels of the protein occur in adults with other forms of arthritis, no one had ever observed it in SoJIA patients, explains Virginia Pascual, M.D., a member of BIIR's research team. The discovery led researchers to wonder if an existing treatment for adults with rheumatoid arthritis might help children with SoJIA. Given in a daily injection, the medication manages the excess levels of the inflammation-related protein.

"We began treating patients with this medication immediately, and the results were spectacular," Dr. Pascual says.

To date, the researchers have prescribed the medication to 14 children, and all but one have responded to the treatment. Because the medication is already approved for treating arthritis, it's an option available to any physician.

"It's wonderful that we've been able to make such a difference for these children," Dr. Pascual adds. "We've truly lived up to the spirit of our institute, which is to make discoveries that immediately apply to patients."

By Amy Lynn Smith

To find out more about Baylor Institute for Immunology Research, call 1-800-4BAYLOR.