New CEGIR Site Announced

Contacts:  Munazza Noor, Baylor College of Medicine, Phone: (832)-824-0939, E-mail: munazza.noor@bcm.edu

Mary Jo Strobel, American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders, Phone: (713)-493-7749, Email: mjstrobel@apfed.org

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

(ATLANTA, GA)—The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) and Baylor College of Medicine are excited to announce that the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR) has recently added Baylor College of Medicine (BCM)/Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) in Houston, Texas as the newest CEGIR site.  BCM/TCH is open to enroll patients (ages 3-100) into the CEGIR 7801 Study: OMEGA—A Prospective, Multicenter Study to Compare and Validate Endoscopic, Histologic, Molecular and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Pediatric and Adult Patients with Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE), Gastritis (EG) and Colitis (EC)*.

EoE, EG and EC are eosinophil-associated diseases (EADs).  EADs are chronic inflammatory disorders characterized by elevated levels of eosinophils (a type of white blood cell) in one or more specific places in tissues, organs, and/or bloodstream, which in turn causes inflammation and damage.  Specifically, EoE, EG and EC are Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Diseases (EGIDs) which means that there are elevated levels of eosinophils in the gastrointestinal tract.

CEGIR is conducting the OMEGA study because they want to learn more about EGIDs.  As part of that goal, one area of study will compare how well a patient feels—their symptoms—with what the tissue samples look like under a microscope.  The study is designed to give researchers and clinicians a better idea of the correlation of symptoms to the tissue, help them find clues about the disease in the tissue samples and assess how this information could be used in the future to help guide diagnosis and treatment plans.

If you would like to learn more about the OMEGA study and see if you may be eligible to participate, please visit: https://www.rarediseasesnetwork.org/cms/cegir/7801 .  If you are interested in seeing if you can participate in this study at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Texas, please contact Munazza Noor using the phone number and/or e-mail address listed above.

*The OMEGA study is currently only enrolling patients with EG and/or EC and has been closed to EoE patients.  Patients with a diagnosis of Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis (EGE) or Eosinophilic Duodenitis (ED) can contact a study coordinator for additional eligibility details.

 

About American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED)

APFED is a non-profit organization dedicated to patients and their families coping with eosinophilic disorders.  APFED’s mission is to passionately embrace, support and improve the lives of patients and families affected by eosinophil-associated diseases through education and awareness, research, support and advocacy.  www.apfed.org

 

About Baylor College of Medicine

Baylor College of Medicine (www.bcm.edu) in Houston is recognized as a premier academic health sciences center and is known for excellence in education, research and patient care. It is the only private medical school in the greater southwest and is ranked 16th among medical schools for research and 5th for primary care by U.S. News & World Report. Baylor is listed 21st among all U.S. medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding and number one in Texas. Located in the Texas Medical Center, Baylor has affiliations with seven teaching hospitals and jointly owns and operates Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, part of CHI St. Luke’s Health. Currently, Baylor trains more than 3,000 medical, graduate, nurse anesthesia, physician assistant and orthotics students, as well as residents and post-doctoral fellows. Follow Baylor College of Medicine on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/BaylorCollegeOfMedicine) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/BCMHouston).

 

About the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR)

CEGIR (U54AI117804) is a part of the NCATS Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN).  RDCRN is an initiative of the Office of Rare Diseases (ORDR), NCATS, funded through a collaboration between the NCATS, the NIAID and the NIDDK.  CEGIR is also supported by patient advocacy groups including APFED, CURED and EFC.  www.rdcrn.org/cegir