November 20, 2011

John Stanley

Dr. John Stanley, a professor in the department of dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania, argues that although historically there has been "a long lag between research and improvement in patient care," those lag times are getting shorter, thanks, in large part, to public investment in the research enterprise. Stanley uses pemphigus as his example, describing how it took 100 years to achieve an understanding of the histology of the disease, leading to the first major advance for patients. But he says more recent advances—from discovering prednisone as a pemphigus treatment to improvements in diagnosis—have benefitted patients more rapidly. Other examples of research with tangible benefits include discovering antibodies associated with pemphigus, coming to understand pemphigus as an autoimmune disease, and the development of animal models of pemphigus.