Autoimmune Life Blog

With more than 30 Virginia Mason team members and BRI researchers collaborating, research is happening at an unprecedented pace to help combat the COVID-19 public health crisis.

Many people who live with autoimmune diseases are feeling even more anxiety because their disease may put them at higher risk for complications if infected with COVID-19 – which also creates barriers to necessities like leaving the house, grocery shopping and getting medications.

Dr. Bolouri joined BRI’s growing Systems Immunology Division this year. Much of his work explores why some people have one immune response to an external or internal event, while other people have a different response. He and his systems immunology colleagues examine the big picture.

In the face of COVID-19, the Brooke family got used to things being canceled: school and work now happen at their home in Portland, Oregon. Twins Zoe and Andrew had to change their plans for their 10th birthday party.

Even before the governor closed the schools, I think we realized COVID-19 was going to be a really big deal. Still, for many of us, that was the day it hit home. The virus was going to alter the way we live, work, learn and connect with others - maybe for years to come.

When the COVID-19 pandemic started unfolding, BRI Principal Investigator Adam Lacy-Hulbert, PhD, was ready to fight it: He previously developed a way to study viruses like Ebola and identified cells specially armored against the deadly virus.

BRI’s work took on new meaning for Kirk Nelson when his wife, Patty, was diagnosed with a rare disease called autoimmune dermatomyositis. “I’d heard of BRI,” says Kirk, CEO of AAA Washington.

Over the past year, BRI has been working toward a new vision of creating a healthy immune system for everyone.

We’re all hearing that people with underlying conditions and immune deficiencies are more susceptible to COVID-19. It’s natural for people with autoimmune disease to wonder what this means for them.

s the coronavirus and COVID-19 turn the world upside down, it’s an unprecedented time filled with challenges that BRI is ready for. We thrive on investigating the toughest medical questions.