Rachael Gordon, MD, PhD - How Immunology Research Is Impacting Sjögren's Disease - D1

Sjögren's is not one uniform disease. It is a varied condition in which different immune cells and pathways drive symptoms in different patients, and matching the right therapy to each person's particular flavor of the disease is the key to better treatment. Dr. Rachael Gordon, a physician-scientist at the University of Pittsburgh and director of the Sjögren Center, explains how immunology research is reshaping that future. In conversation with immunologist Cindy Leifer, Dr. Gordon walks through how B cells, neutrophils, and T cells contribute to disease, why earlier trials like rituximab fell short, and the wave of new B-cell-targeting therapies now moving through phase two and phase three studies. She also describes how genetics and environmental triggers, such as Epstein-Barr virus and ocular herpes virus, may combine to set autoimmunity in motion. What you will take away Sjögren's varies from person to person, so the goal of research is to identify each patient's specific immune driver and target it directly, rather than using broad, blunt immune suppression Past trials like rituximab struggled partly because the right patient subgroup was not selected, and because B cells dropped in the blood but not in the affected glands A new generation of therapies is advancing through trials, targeting B cells in different ways (the BAFF receptor, BTK, CD40 and CD40 ligand, and antibody recycling) Autoimmunity likely requires both a genetic susceptibility and an environmental trigger, and because so much is still unknown, Dr. Gordon urges caution about environmental advice and misinformation About Rachael Gordon Dr. Rachael Gordon is an early-career physician-scientist and Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where she directs the Sjögren Center. She both cares for patients and leads laboratory research unraveling the immune system's role in Sjögren's disease to identify new targets for drug development. Not registered yet? If you want to join the conversation live, July 16 to 18, 2026, register for the free Virtual Sjögren's Summit: https://sjogrenssummit.com Connect with Rachael Gordon Website: https://immunologyexplained.org Instagram:   / immunologyexplained   TikTok:   / immunologyexplained   YouTube:    / @immunologyexplained   Facebook:   / immunologyexplained   Chapters 0:00 Welcome and meet Dr. Gordon 1:02 How she found her way to Sjögren's research 3:51 Neutrophils, signaling pathways, and mouse models 8:30 A turning point: from bench to bedside 12:14 Sjögren's as a varied disease: why subtypes matter 16:56 How targeted therapies actually work 20:40 The many jobs of B cells 26:16 Matching drugs to disease: ianalumab and the pipeline 32:45 When the immune system can't turn off 36:27 Can we prevent autoimmune disease? This session is educational and does not take the place of individual medical advice. Please bring what resonates to the care team who helps you manage your health.