A quiet world first
Even its name, IgG4-RD, does little to promote public awareness.
Last summer, St. Paul’s Hospital medical biochemists made a breakthrough advance on a mysterious disease.
Only in this century has the disease known as IgG4-RD begun to gain prominence. Its origins are still being defined, although research suggests it may be an autoimmune or allergic disorder. Left untreated, it can cause organ failure. It affects one in 200 people, which sounds rare—but that’s 35 million people.
Fortunately, Dr. Andre Mattman, a medical biochemist with the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at St. Paul’s, is very aware of IgG4-RD. So aware that earlier this year a breakthrough by Dr. Mattman and his colleagues changed the way this disease is diagnosed and treated.
Read the entire story about this breakthrough advance on St. Paul’s Foundation’s website.
