Principal investigator Dritan Agalliu, Ph.D., Chair of the PANDAS Network Scientific Advisory Board and Postdoctoral Research Fellow Ugur Akcan PhD, and Charlotte Wayne have worked to understand how streptococcal bacteria underlie the acute encephalitic onset in children with PANDAS and Sydenham’s chorea. Below is a pre-recorded interview of Dr. Akcan explaining the step-by-step processes for isolating… Continue reading New Immunological Mechanisms of PANDAS and Sydenham’s chorea Revealed
Author: Matthew Menendez Ph.D.
Dr. Menendez is a dedicated science communication specialist with a passion for empowering patients navigating complex chronic diseases. Through innovative educational strategies, he bridges the gap between cutting-edge research and real-world understanding, helping individuals advocate for better care, access timely treatments, and reclaim their quality of life. With expertise in neuroinflammation and overlapping conditions like Long COVID and autoimmune disorders, Dr. Menendez champions collaborative platforms that unite patients, researchers, and clinicians for transformative health outcomes.
PANDAS Neurologic Stem Cell Research, iPSC Modeling
Understanding the Role of Genetic Risk Factors for PANDAS UsingHuman Induced-Pluripotent Stem Cells and Disease Modeling A PANDAS Network $50,000 grant to the Irene Munk Pedersen Laboratory,Scintillon Research Institute (San Diego, CA) received a grant to conduct a pilot study examining the direct effects of illness on the brains of children with PANDAS/PANS. The Pedersen… Continue reading PANDAS Neurologic Stem Cell Research, iPSC Modeling
PANS IVIG Study: Gene Expression Changes in Immune Cells After Treatment
A recent discovery partly funded by a $50K grant from PANDAS Network has uncovered something exciting: in kids with PANS, a large group of genes in their white blood cells are out of whack—but they bounce back after IVIg treatment. These genes were found to fall into three main categories: Since you, the parents, played… Continue reading PANS IVIG Study: Gene Expression Changes in Immune Cells After Treatment
Appeal an IVIG Health Insurance Denial
Interview with the CEO of Claimable: Helping Families Appeal IVIG Therapy Denials In a recent interview, we spoke with Dr. Warris Bokhari, the CEO and Co-Founder of Claimable, who helped build a company dedicated to assisting families who have been denied health insurance claims, such as IVIG therapy for PANDAS/PANS. He shared insights into the company’s… Continue reading Appeal an IVIG Health Insurance Denial
How Mutation in One Gene, RXRa, Impacts the Brain of Children with PANDAS/PANS
*This research is preliminary as projected to be submitted for publication in 2025 Ugur Akcan, a postdoctoral research scientist in the Agalliu Lab at Columbia University has investigated the effects of a genetic mutation identified in some children with PANDAS and PANS. This mutation affects the Retinoid X Receptor Alpha (RXRa) gene, a transcription factor… Continue reading How Mutation in One Gene, RXRa, Impacts the Brain of Children with PANDAS/PANS
PANDAS Network $50K Grant is Used to Fund a New Stem Cell Model to Accelerate PANDAS/PANS Research
Generous donations to the PANDAS Network in the amount of $50,000 from the 2023 Research Fund was awarded to Dr. Irene Munk Pedersen for her exciting PANDAS/PANS research. Her laboratory developed a way to model the human blood-brain barrier (BBB) in 3D by converting human skin cells into stem cells. These stem cells are grown… Continue reading PANDAS Network $50K Grant is Used to Fund a New Stem Cell Model to Accelerate PANDAS/PANS Research
3D Stem Cell Model Explained
This blog post intends to provide an extra layer of scientific detail to explain how Dr. Irene Pedersen and her team use stem cells to build human blood vessels in 3D. Please read the PANDAS Network funding announcement of Dr. Pedersen’s work for the introduction to this article. Using Inducible Stem Cells to Model the… Continue reading 3D Stem Cell Model Explained
Behind the Scenes of PANDAS Research
Behind every cure is a tremendous amount of financial support from government funding agencies like the National Institute of Health (NIH). However, some diseases receive little to no NIH funding. Unfortunately, PANDAS is one of those diseases. Here we will pull back the curtain and take a look behind the scenes to understand why the… Continue reading Behind the Scenes of PANDAS Research
Pennsylvania Small Businesses Make a BIG Impact Toward PANDAS Research
The PANDAS Network is a small nonprofit trying to improve the lives of children and adults living with PANDAS/PANS in a BIG way. We are incredibly grateful for every donation, big or small, as it advances our mission. Small Businesses Make a Big Difference Chuck and Renee Lumio hosted the 2020 Lumio Casino Royale charity… Continue reading Pennsylvania Small Businesses Make a BIG Impact Toward PANDAS Research
Your Donations at Work: $50K Awarded to Stanford University Researcher, Noor Hussein, Ph.D.
Thanks to the support of our donors, the PANDAS Network has awarded Noor Hussein, Ph.D. from Stanford University, a $50,000 grant to investigate the function of an anti-inflammatory white blood cell called regulatory T cells, in PANS children! This research will allow health professionals to determine if abnormal brain inflammation is caused by malfunctioning anti-inflammatory… Continue reading Your Donations at Work: $50K Awarded to Stanford University Researcher, Noor Hussein, Ph.D.