A tenured professor at the Yale School of Medicine, Michael Simons, MD, engages as the founding director of the Yale Cardiovascular Research Center. Respected in his field, Dr. Michael Simons participated in the 14th International Workshop on Scleroderma Research at St. John’s College, Cambridge.
A chronic condition, scleroderma involves a hardening of the connective tissue and proteins that make up the tissue. The focus is on the skin’s collagen, with scleroderma having the meaning “hard skin.” The autoimmune response involves the cells overproducing collagen, which in turn prevents the normal functioning of other organs in the body.
Known as Raynaud’s phenomenon, primary symptoms include fingers that change color with cold or when emotional stress occurs. Another symptom is that hands and fingers grow puffy and stiff.
Dr. Simons counts a collaboration involving Johns Hopkins on angiogenic inhibitors and pulmonary hypertension development among his laboratory’s areas of research. A particular emphasis is on scleroderma patients and the effects of circulating angiogenic inhibitors on the disease’s progress.
