Arnett Center for Autoimmunity, Immunobiology opens

Posted on Monday, January 23rd, 2012

UT Physicians is proud to announce the new Frank C. Arnett, M.D., Center for Autoimmunity and Immunobiology in the UT Professional Building, Suite 450.

The new UT Physicians center is named in honor of Frank Arnett, M.D., recently retired UT Physicians rheumatologist and former chair of the Department of Internal Medicine. The facility incorporates the rheumatology clinic and includes approximately 4,000 square feet of space. Appointments can be scheduled by calling 713.486.3100.

John Reveille, M.D., the Linda and Ronny Finger Foundation Distinguished Chair in Neuroimmunologic Disorders and the George S. Bruce, Jr., Professor in Arthritis and Other Rheumatic Diseases, is the director of the new center. He also directs the center’s Spondyloarthritis Program and Clinic.

“UTHealth Development Board Member Linda Finger had a personal interest in autoimmune diseases and has a long-standing relationship with the Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunogenetics. She has been a major supporter of the division’s efforts and the Frank C. Arnett, M.D., Center for Autoimmunity and Immunobiology,” Dr. Reveille says.

The center is building on the university’s world-recognized autoimmune disease research and clinical programs.

Already Dr. Arnett, Maureen Mayes, M.D., UT Physicians rheumatologist, and others have discovered genes that predispose people toward scleroderma. In addition, Dr. Reveille and his team continue to identify genes tied to ankylosing spondylitis and lupus and make advances in the treatment of these debilitating diseases.

“We have recently seen a wave of new discoveries of causes and treatments of autoimmune diseases,” says Dr. Reveille, chief of rheumatology at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. “Here at the UTHealth Science Center at Houston, we are riding the crest of that wave, which will bring better lives to our patients and their families.”

The center has multiple disease-focused clinics, including the Vasculitis Clinic, the Scleroderma Program and Clinic, the Spondyloarthritis Program and Clinic, and the Lupus Clinic.

The Vasculitis Clinic has received generous support from Finger and is slated to be named in her honor. The Vascular Disease Foundation defines vasculitis as an inflammation of the wall of a blood vessel, a tube that carries blood. The Vasculitis Clinic is led by Filemon Tan, M.D., UT Physicians rheumatologist, and Binh Yen Nguyen, M.D., UT Physicians internist.

The Scleroderma Program and Clinic is led by Dr. Mayes with the assistance of Shervin Assassi, M.D., UT Physicians internist. The Spondyloarthritis Program and Clinic is run by Dr. Reveille and Sandeep Agarwal, M.D., UT Physicians internist. The Lupus Clinic is temporarily led by Dr. Reveille with the assistance of Ankur Kamdar, M.D., UT Physicians pediatrician.

“Identifying the genes, which predispose individuals to these disorders, and understanding how they contribute to these disorders are major steps in developing therapies,” Dr. Arnett says. “By building a true ‘bench to bedside’ research and clinical enterprise, the center will provide state-of-the-art clinical care for each of these specific diseases and create a collaborative environment with basic science researchers.”

— Robert Cahill, Office of Advancement, Media Relations

The medical group practice of The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, UT Physicians offers the most advanced technologies with a personalized touch from its flagship location in the Texas Medical Center and at a growing number of clinics throughout the greater Houston area.

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