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How Chronic Inflammation is a Cause of Systemic Disease

Genetics

 

Presented by: Ronald McGlennen, MD

Original Publication Date: August 19, 2015

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Course Description:

Inflammation is a natural response to offenses of the body, protecting us from infection, trauma, and other forces of the environment. Too much inflammation, especially occurring over the years and decades, is now known to contribute to the causes of atherosclerotic vascular disease, adult-onset (Type 2) diabetes, forms of dementia, and even cancer. Join us as we explore how chronic inflammation and the risk of inflammation-associated disease are best assayed by the use of genetic testing. This lecture will outline the molecular physiology of these gene markers and discuss the translation of that genetic information to detail how inflammation causes atherosclerosis, insulin resistance/diabetes, and a model of dementia.

Learning Objectives:

  • Recognize a description of the molecular genetics of gene expression and the model of how this applies to chronic inflammation.
  • Identify details of the mechanisms by which chronic inflammatory cells and extracellular proteins affect end organs to illustrate atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, and dementia.
  • Outline ways in which such genetic information can be used to care for patients and construct management plans.

Speaker Bio:

Dr. McGlennen is President and Medical Director of Access Genetics and OralDNA Labs. He has published over 70 scientific articles and book chapters and served as the editor of five journals. He holds nine issued and pending patents. He is board-certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and also by the American Board of Medical Genetics, with a Specialty in Clinical Molecular Genetics. He is internationally recognized as an expert in Molecular Biology and Genetics. His focus in research has been on reducing the complexity of gene-based testing, including DNA chip technology and simple analytic instrumentation to serve the community laboratory better. He has served on a series of governmental and regulatory committees focused on the growth of the field of molecular diagnostics.