John Hanly
Dr. John Hanly is Professor of Medicine and Pathology at Dalhousie University and Attending staff physician in Capital Health, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He is the Director of the Dalhousie University Lupus Clinic in Halifax. He obtained his medical degree from the National University of Ireland in 1978 and trained in general internal medicine and clinical rheumatology in Ireland prior to immigrating to Canada in 1984. He undertook clinical fellowships in Rheumatology and Immunology at the University of Toronto and McMaster University before joining the Faculty of Medicine at Dalhousie University in 1987.
Dr. Hanly is a member of several national and international research networks involved in clinical studies of systemic lupus erythematosus. He is the Chair of the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC), a research network comprising 36 lupus investigators in 31 academic centers in 11 countries. He is also a longstanding member of CaNIOS. He has published extensively and has received awards in recognition of his achievements in clinical research in lupus. Dr Hanly serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Rheumatology, Lupus and Current Opinion in Rheumatology.
Dr. Hanly’s major research focus is the study of pathogenic mechanisms and clinical outcomes in systemic lupus erythematosus, with a particular emphasis on ways in which lupus may affect the brain and other parts of the nervous system. This work is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). He also carries out clinical trials in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Prof. Hanly will attend the Strasbourg symposium on Lupus on May 10-11, at the occasion of World Lupus Day, at which about 300 people (researchers, teacher-researchers, clinicians and students, patients) will participate. Strasbourg has a strong history in research on Lupus with its fundamental and translational research teams and clinicians. Strasbourg features among other things a unique Autoimmune Diseases Centre, and leads the LBBR project, which involves the creation of a European cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus patients including the constitution of a biobank. Professor John Hanly will participate in the May 10-11 symposium and interact with researchers and students in Strasbourg, developing future research strategies.
Professor Hanly will give a public lecture on 12 May 2015 at 11:00 (see below).
Public Lecture - Lupus and the Brain
John Hanly, Dalhousie University, Canada
12 May 2015, 11h00 | Forum of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Strasbourg
Systemic lupus erythematosus, often abbreviated as SLE or lupus, is a systemic autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. When the immune system is functioning normally, it makes proteins called antibodies that protect against pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. Lupus is characterized by the presence of antibodies against a person's own proteins; these are most commonly anti-nuclear antibodies, which are found in nearly all cases. These antibodies lead to inflammation. Although the underlying cause of autoimmune diseases is unknown, most believe that lupus results from both genetic and environmental stimuli.
SLE often mimics or is mistaken for other illnesses. SLE symptoms vary widely and come and go unpredictably. Diagnosis can thus be elusive, with some people suffering unexplained symptoms of untreated SLE for years. SLE most often harms the heart, joints, skin, lungs, blood vessels, liver, kidneys, and nervous system. The course of the disease is unpredictable, with periods of illness (called flares) alternating with remissions. The disease occurs nine times more often in women than in men. In France, nearly 50 people per 100 000 inhabitants is affected by Lupus, and there are an estimated 20,000 to 50,000 patients. SLE can be fatal, and there is no real cure; it is treated with immunosuppression and pain relief, to keep symptoms under control.
In about 75% of Lupus patients the brain is affected. The effects of Lupus on the brain are complex. They include headaches, cognitive dysfunction, depression, cerebrovascular events (i.e., stroke), seizures, polyneuropathy, anxiety, and psychosis. There are likely numerous different causes and pathways underlying these problems, including the effect of Lupus on blood vessels, which can affect blood flow to the brain. The blood/brain barrier that typically protects the brain against invasion of antibodies is weaker in patients with lupus, enabling certain autoantibodies to penetrate into the brain.
Due to technological innovations (e.g., in neuroimaging) the complex effects of Lupus on the brain can be studied in promising new ways. This will lead to new therapeutic approaches, more specific and effective with fewer side effects. However the study of lupus and the brain requires the combination of expertise from many different disciplines and domains, which makes it particularly challenging.
John Hanly, a world-renowned expert in the area of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, will give a broad overview of the topic and present the recent important developments in the understanding and treatment of the effects of Lupus on the brain.
