The Hoya • October 26, 2024 • https://thehoya.com/news/gumc-announces-new-pandas-pans-fellowship/
By Pritika Patel, Special to The Hoya
The Georgetown University Medical Center, in collaboration with the Alex Manfull Fund, which funds research on postinfection neuroimmune disorders, announced the launch of the new PANDAS/PANS Fellowship Fund Oct. 9.
The program is a four-year initiative designed to educate neuroimmunology fellows on pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS) and pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) — two autoimmune diseases — and how to identify their presence. The program will combine new research and clinical knowledge across disciplines, including otolaryngology, neurology, immunology and neuropathology, to equip future practitioners with the necessary skills to address the disorder effectively.
PANDAS and PANS are autoimmune diseases that follow an infection — most commonly a streptococcal infection — where the immune system attacks the body’s healthy brain cells, affecting central nervous system function. Despite their serious effects — including changes in personality, development of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, tics and in certain cases death — PANDAS and PANS often go unrecognized by health care providers due to the limited available research.
ELIZA MINEAUX/THE HOYA | The Georgetown University Medical Center and the Alex Manfull Fund, announced the launch of a new Fellowship Fund to study PANDAS/PANS, two autoimmune diseases.
Susan Manfull, co-founder and executive director of the Alex Manfull Fund, said the new program promises new discoveries.
“PANDAS/PANS is a multidisciplinary disorder and there are multiple systems involved in producing the symptoms that we see,” Manfull told The Hoya. “The fellowship fund is intended to set the stage for neurology students to work with other disciplines and develop cross-discipline relationships.”
Dr. Carlo Tornatore, the regional chief of neurology for Georgetown MedStar Health, said the program will better equip future healthcare professionals.
“The idea of the fellowship is training out the next generation of doctors who can think about the future,” Tornatore told The Hoya.
Daniela Sosa-Sarkar, board president of the Alex Manfull Fund, said PANDAS and PANS represent challenges in health care disparities with lack of insurance coverage.
“Insurance coverage is a huge problem for those suffering from PANDAS/PANS, which results at best in delayed treatment and at worst, lack of treatment and the devastating consequences that result,” Sosa-Sarkar told The Hoya. “The health inequities that result from lack of insurance coverage are real and devastating.”
Tornatore said he is optimistic about potential new discoveries the research will generate as well as its intersection with new technologies.
“I think we will make unexpected findings as we go along because we’re open,” Tornatore said. “I think over the next decade, we’re going to learn so much, especially with genomics, and AI is really going to explode how we understand.”
Manfull said further research into PANDAS and PANS is crucial for increasing awareness of the conditions among health care professionals and policymakers.
“If we can provide support to increase research, that research can compel doctors and insurance companies to understand that it is a truly serious disorder,” Manfull added.
The Alex Manfull Fund established Georgetown’s POND Brain Bank, the nation’s only brain bank which stores brains from individuals diagnosed with PANDAS, PANS and other neuroimmune disorders. The bank provides detailed neuropathological evaluations and oversees the procurement, storage and distribution of tissue and biofluids to researchers worldwide to discover biomarkers for PANDAS and PANS.
Sosa-Sarkar said Georgetown has been instrumental in helping study PANDAS, PANS and other diseases.
“Georgetown University has been an invaluable ally to the PANDAS/PANS community,” Sosa-Sarkar said. “Since the creation of the POND Bank, through the support of TAMF, and now The Alex Manfull PANDAS/PANS Fellowship Fund, Georgetown Medical Center has shown its commitment to advancing education and research on PANDAS/PANS.”
Manfull said the fund’s strength comes from its comprehensive approach to studying the disorder, promoting collaboration across medical departments and examining its various manifestations.
“Establishing The Alex Manfull PANDAS/PANS Fellowship Fund is truly visionary and demonstrates that the Department of Neurology at Georgetown embraces this new frontier in medicine,” Manfull said.
GUMC Announces New PANDAS/PANS Fellowship
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Updated: October 30, 2024 by bmanfull@comcast.net
The Hoya • October 26, 2024 • https://thehoya.com/news/gumc-announces-new-pandas-pans-fellowship/
By Pritika Patel, Special to The Hoya
The Georgetown University Medical Center, in collaboration with the Alex Manfull Fund, which funds research on postinfection neuroimmune disorders, announced the launch of the new PANDAS/PANS Fellowship Fund Oct. 9.
The program is a four-year initiative designed to educate neuroimmunology fellows on pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS) and pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) — two autoimmune diseases — and how to identify their presence. The program will combine new research and clinical knowledge across disciplines, including otolaryngology, neurology, immunology and neuropathology, to equip future practitioners with the necessary skills to address the disorder effectively.
PANDAS and PANS are autoimmune diseases that follow an infection — most commonly a streptococcal infection — where the immune system attacks the body’s healthy brain cells, affecting central nervous system function. Despite their serious effects — including changes in personality, development of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, tics and in certain cases death — PANDAS and PANS often go unrecognized by health care providers due to the limited available research.
Susan Manfull, co-founder and executive director of the Alex Manfull Fund, said the new program promises new discoveries.
“PANDAS/PANS is a multidisciplinary disorder and there are multiple systems involved in producing the symptoms that we see,” Manfull told The Hoya. “The fellowship fund is intended to set the stage for neurology students to work with other disciplines and develop cross-discipline relationships.”
Dr. Carlo Tornatore, the regional chief of neurology for Georgetown MedStar Health, said the program will better equip future healthcare professionals.
“The idea of the fellowship is training out the next generation of doctors who can think about the future,” Tornatore told The Hoya.
Daniela Sosa-Sarkar, board president of the Alex Manfull Fund, said PANDAS and PANS represent challenges in health care disparities with lack of insurance coverage.
“Insurance coverage is a huge problem for those suffering from PANDAS/PANS, which results at best in delayed treatment and at worst, lack of treatment and the devastating consequences that result,” Sosa-Sarkar told The Hoya. “The health inequities that result from lack of insurance coverage are real and devastating.”
Tornatore said he is optimistic about potential new discoveries the research will generate as well as its intersection with new technologies.
“I think we will make unexpected findings as we go along because we’re open,” Tornatore said. “I think over the next decade, we’re going to learn so much, especially with genomics, and AI is really going to explode how we understand.”
Manfull said further research into PANDAS and PANS is crucial for increasing awareness of the conditions among health care professionals and policymakers.
“If we can provide support to increase research, that research can compel doctors and insurance companies to understand that it is a truly serious disorder,” Manfull added.
The Alex Manfull Fund established Georgetown’s POND Brain Bank, the nation’s only brain bank which stores brains from individuals diagnosed with PANDAS, PANS and other neuroimmune disorders. The bank provides detailed neuropathological evaluations and oversees the procurement, storage and distribution of tissue and biofluids to researchers worldwide to discover biomarkers for PANDAS and PANS.
Sosa-Sarkar said Georgetown has been instrumental in helping study PANDAS, PANS and other diseases.
“Georgetown University has been an invaluable ally to the PANDAS/PANS community,” Sosa-Sarkar said. “Since the creation of the POND Bank, through the support of TAMF, and now The Alex Manfull PANDAS/PANS Fellowship Fund, Georgetown Medical Center has shown its commitment to advancing education and research on PANDAS/PANS.”
Manfull said the fund’s strength comes from its comprehensive approach to studying the disorder, promoting collaboration across medical departments and examining its various manifestations.
“Establishing The Alex Manfull PANDAS/PANS Fellowship Fund is truly visionary and demonstrates that the Department of Neurology at Georgetown embraces this new frontier in medicine,” Manfull said.
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