Today, the Jeffrey Modell Foundation (JMF), together with Baxter Healthcare Corporation, celebrated the opening of the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies at the University of California?San Francisco (UCSF).
The diagnostic center is one of only 34 of its kind in the world, focusing on the diagnosis, care, and treatment of people suffering with Primary Immunodeficiency (PI). Primary Immunodeficiency is a term that encompasses more than 120 diseases caused by an immune system that does not function properly.
?We are thrilled with the support from UCSF and Baxter.? said Fred Modell, Co-founder of the JMF. ?Experts have estimated that as many as 500,000 cases of PI remain undiagnosed in the United States, and our goal is to give every child a chance to lead a healthy, normal life.?
?There is a large undiagnosed population of children and young adults suffering with these diseases, keeping them from enjoying a full life, as they often miss 30 or 40 days of school every year,? said Vicki Modell, Co-founder of the JMF. ?Their illness interrupts their activities, detours their plans and shatters their dreams.?
A recent survey of the Jeffrey Modell Centers shows they are, in fact, fulfilling that promise. Survey results reveal that throughout a three-year period, there was a 98 percent average annual increase in the number of patients diagnosed with PI, and a 77 percent annual increase in the number of PI patients receiving treatment. PI affects males and females of all ages, but the most severe forms are frequently detected in childhood.
Primary Immunodeficiency can often present in the form of common illnesses such as sinus infections, pneumonia, ear infections, and bronchitis. For this reason, families and doctors are often unaware that the troubling conditions they are dealing with are actually rooted in a defect in the immune system. The symptoms are treated rather than addressing the underlying cause. Failure to diagnose and treat PI can lead to serious chronic illness, permanent organ damage, or even death.
?Early recognition and diagnosis saves lives and improves the health of immune-deficient patients,? said Jennifer Puck, MD, professor of pediatrics and human genetics and director of the Jeffrey Modell Foundation (JMF) Diagnostic Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies at UCSF. ?UCSF has a long history of groundbreaking research and outstanding care of individuals with these conditions. The educational and diagnostic programs made possible through the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic Center will provide a framework within which we can reach out to the community as a center of excellence. We will be able to diagnose and treat more patients with PI, and in partnership with our local medical colleagues and by networking with researchers around the world, we can advance cutting-edge research to learn more about these rare diseases.?
?The JMF?s unwavering dedication to the early diagnosis and treatment of PI is evident through their many very successful endeavors, the most recent being the opening of this modern diagnostic facility at the University of California?San Francisco,? said Larry Guiheen, President of Biopharmaceuticals for Baxter?s BioScience business. ?Baxter is proud to collaborate with JMF and UCSF to launch this Center, in an effort to increase awareness and improve the lives of patients with PI. We look forward to seeing the University of California, San Francisco continue to be recognized as a Center of Excellence.?
Baxter provided an unrestricted grant to the JMF. Baxter and the JMF are long-standing partners in the effort to raise awareness and increase diagnosis of PI globally. In addition to establishing diagnostic centers around the world, Baxter and JMF have in the past collaborated in programs to raise PI awareness in the U.S. and Europe.