They were two strangers who shared a vision to
improve the quality of life for people living with
rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Today, though they
live hundreds of miles apart from each other and
have never met, Allison B. Reiss, MD, and Dan
Daniell of Fayetteville, Georgia, have grown to
be dear friends.
“I am so thankful for Dr. Reiss’ friendship
and the research that she is doing – I just know
it’s going to help people in the future,” said Mr.
Daniell, a retired
Lieutenant Colonel who
served in the United
States Air Force for
24 years.
As he was recently
thumbing through the
pages of a publication
from The Arthritis
Foundation, Mr. Daniell
came across an article
about Dr. Reiss and her
research on RA, pain
management, and the
associated increased risks
for cardiovascular disease and heart attack.
Next to painting, Elizabeth
Daniell’s favorite pastime
was wading in the surf.
“The goal of my research program is to
predict which RA patients are most vulnerable
to developing heart disease so that we can target
appropriate preventative and treatment
measures to improve the quality of life for
these individuals,” said Dr. Reiss, who is Head
of the Inflammation Section of the Winthrop
Research Institute. Dr. Reiss is a widely published
leader in the field of arthritis research,
who presents her research findings at numerous
prestigious national meetings each year.
Dr. Reiss’ research goals strongly resonated
with Mr. Daniell, whose wife, Elizabeth,
suffered with severe RA for many years and
passed away suddenly in 2007 after going into
cardiac arrest. But as Mr. Daniell recalls, his
wife never complained about the pain she was
in nor did she let it keep her from doing what
she enjoyed most – painting.
Elizabeth Daniell’s painting of an old synagogue in Savannah, GA.
Elizabeth’s interest in painting was piqued
over 30 years ago during a demonstration at the
Officers’ Wives’ Club
while she and Mr.
Daniell were stationed
in Tacoma, Washington. It wasn’t long before she
was entering local painting contests and winning
awards for her oil and watercolor paintings.
“She painted realism, impressionism and
combinations of the two,” said Mr. Daniell.
“I usually liked the combinations the best.”
But in her later years, Elizabeth’s RA worsened,
particularly in her wrists and hands, and
she endured several surgeries to alleviate the
pain. Just two years before she passed, Elizabeth
was also diagnosed with a rare condition known
as costochondritis – an inflammation of the
cartilage connecting the rib to the breastbone
which causes severe, sharp chest pain. There is
currently no treatment for the condition.
“I initially contacted Dr. Reiss to
share with her some details of my wife’s
experience and to see if she knew of
any organizations that were doing
research on costochondritis,” said Mr.
Daniell. “We quickly became pen pals;
Dr. Reiss expressed her great kindness
and sympathy towards me, and I
learned more about the important
research that she is doing
to make pain medications
safer. That’s when I decided
to establish a fund in
memory of my wife.”
The Elizabeth Daniell
Research Fund was established
to support the work
of Dr. Reiss and her studies
on heart disease and arthritis
pain. Dr. Reiss’ research
focuses on the specific
inflammatory components
present in the circulatory
systems of patients with
autoimmune diseases that
impair cholesterol meta -
bolism and allow lipid
accumulation in the artery,
where it can lead to
obstruction and heart attack. One aspect
of Dr. Reiss and her team’s work that
holds particular promise for life-changing
results is their finding that a naturally
occurring substance in the blood known
as adenosine has the ability to restore
normal cholesterol metabolism even in
the presence of inflammatory conditions.
The team – which includes Iryna
Voloshyna, PhD, Michael Littlefield,
BA, and Steven Carsons, MD, – is investigating
adenosine and related compounds
in order to understand how they accomplish
this beneficial effect so that they can
ultimately improve the medical treatment
of cardiovascular disease in
patients with RA.
The important research initiatives of (l.-r.) Iryna Voloshyna,
PhD; Allison Reiss, MD; Michael Littlefield, BA; and Steven
Carsons, MD, (not pictured) are helping to make strides in
understanding the relationship between cardiovascular disease
and arthritis pain, thanks in part to support from The
Elizabeth Daniell Research Fund.
The Elizabeth Daniell Research
Fund, established by Mr. Daniell, is
open to public contributions as well.
It is the hope of both Mr. Daniell and
Dr. Reiss that out of loss, something
good can come.
“Mr. Daniell wants to give his wife a
legacy,” said Dr. Reiss. “I share his goals
and am working diligently on making
pain medications safer so that future generations
can have a better quality of life.”
Mr. Daniell’s commitment to
honoring his wife’s memory stretches
beyond the work that he is supporting
at Winthrop. He has also been a faithful
supporter of the work of The Arthritis
Foundation and recently championed a
building project at his church, a longtime
dream that he and Elizabeth shared
as its charter members. On display in
the new church narthex are some of
Elizabeth’s paintings, which Mr. Daniell
continues to change to coincide with
the season.
“I still enjoy my wife’s paintings and
miss her very much,” said Mr. Daniell.
“But I’m sure she’s smiling down from
heaven knowing that the work that’s
being done in her name will someday
help others.”
# # #
Under the leadership and with the
full support of Michael S. Niederman,
MD, Chairman of the Department of
Medicine at Winthrop, and Alan
Jacobson, MD, Winthrop’s Chief
Research Officer, Dr. Reiss and her
team are collaborating on several
research initiatives. The overall
objectives of their research program
are threefold:
- To understand the mechanisms
underlying the increased risk for
developing cardiovascular disease
seen in persons with the
autoimmune disorders rheumatoid
arthritis (RA) and systemic
lupus erythematosus (SLE, lupus).
- To understand why pain-relieving
medications that work through
cyclo-oxygenase (COX) inhibition
elevate the risk of cardiovascular
events including myocardial
infarction and stroke. This class
of drugs, which includes specific
inhibitors of COX-2 as well as
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
medications, is widely used
across the United States and
around the world. Two members
of the COX-2 group, rofecoxib
and valdecoxib, were withdrawn
from the market starting in 2004.
- To develop therapeutic strategies
to prevent and treat the accelerated
atherosclerosis that occurs
in rheumatic diseases and with
prolonged use of COX inhibitors.
Dr. Reiss and her team are grateful
for the support of Mr. Daniell, The
Arthritis Foundation, and se veral other
national organizations which have
helped make their research possible.
|
Vol. 22, No. 2
Summer 2012
Back to Publications
|
