From Recognition to Precision: Advancing Hereditary Connective Tissue Disease Care

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Every day, far more people than we realize are living with severe chronic pain, joint instability, and disability caused by hereditary connective tissue diseases, like the Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes. Recent data indicates that some of the most common forms of these disorders, such as Hypermobile EDS, affect far more individuals than we previously thought, yet patients still spend years being dismissed because our system lacks many quantitative tools for diagnosis. Currently, there are no approved treatments or medications, despite the evidence for increased prevalence, and early identification remains one of the most useful tools in improving patient quality of life.

At the core of these problems is the extracellular matrix, a scaffold that holds our organs, cells, and bodies together with important roles in healing, aging, and some forms of disease progression. When this system is faulty, it can result in complex multisystemic manifestations that can often permanently alter the lives of the patients or even result in fatality.

At the Dr. Zhao Research Lab at UC Davis Health, we imagine a different future for families and patients suffering from connective tissue diseases, one rooted in scientific and medical advancement.

Gifts to our campaign provide general support for the Dr. Zhao Research Lab at UC Davis Health, including our current priority of identifying connective tissue conditions earlier and building the scientific foundation for future therapies. Your support at this vital stage will help us to apply our expertise in bioelectricity, metabolism, and healing to advance our knowledge with the goal of discovering better treatments and diagnostics.

Together, with your help, we hope to move closer to a reality where nobody is constrained by the confines of these conditions and where everyone can live to their fullest potential.

Video description: UC Davis Health researcher, Jeevan Mann, stands in a dress shirt and tie in front of trees on the UC Health campus. Jeevan discusses Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and the most common form, Hypermobile EDS, which currently has no known markers for diagnosis. He talks about the lack of available treatments and tools to get diagnosed, and the need for greater research, including here on the UCD campus.