The Path to Better Treatments: A Patient-Friendly Guide to Sjögren’s Clinical Trials

Описание: The webinar focuses on:
Living with Sjögren’s can be challenging, and many patients wonder how new and better treatments are developed—and whether participating in clinical research might be right for them. This webinar is designed to provide a clear, accessible overview of how clinical trials work in Sjögren’s syndrome and what patients can expect if they choose to take part.
During the session, we will explain the purpose of clinical trials, the different phases of research, and how safety and patient well-being are protected at every step. We will walk through common questions—How are treatments tested? Who can join a study? What does participation involve day to day?—and discuss how clinical research helps advance scientific understanding and leads to improved options for future care.
You will also hear about the unique goals of current and emerging Sjögren’s studies, including how they address dryness, fatigue, pain, and other symptoms that significantly affect quality of life. We will guide you from study design to outcome measures.
Whether you are curious about clinical trials, considering participation, or simply want to learn more about how treatments for Sjögren’s move from the laboratory to the clinic, this webinar will give you practical, trustworthy information to support informed decision-making. There is no expectation or pressure to join a study—just an opportunity to better understand your options and the research that is helping pave the way to better therapies for the Sjögren’s community.

The speaker of this webinar is:
Prof. Isabelle Peene from the University Hospital Ghent, Belgium

The moderators of this webinar are:
Prof. Gaetane Nocturne from the APHP Hopital Bicetre, Paris Saclay University, INSERM, Paris, France, and the ePAGs, Mrs. Coralie Bouillot from Sjögren Europe.

Prof. Isabelle Peene, MD, is Associate Professor in Rheumatology and Head of Clinic in the Department of Rheumatology at Ghent University Hospital in Ghent, Belgium, a role she has held since 2021. She also practices at AZ Sint-Jan Hospital in Bruges, one of the region’s largest community-based hospitals, where she previously served as Head of Department.
Her clinical and research work is dedicated primarily to Sjögren’s Disease (SjD). In 2019, she launched and has since led BeSSTT—the Belgian Sjögren’S disease Transition Trial—at Ghent University Hospital. This structured care pathway follows more than 500 patients with confirmed or probable SjD in a prospective cohort, providing high-quality, multidisciplinary care while generating valuable clinical and translational research data.
She plays an active role in the European Reference Network (ERN) ReCONNET Sjögren’s Disease Group and serves as Sjögren’s Disease representative in its Working Group for Patient Partnership, helping to integrate patient perspectives into research and care models.
She is also a principal and sub-investigator in multiple clinical trials exploring novel therapeutic strategies and mechanisms of action in SjD. She has authored, co-authored, and reviewed publications in the field of antinuclear antibodies and SjD.

More info about SjD can be found here: https://reconnet.ern-net.eu/disease-ss/
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