Research
The goal of Dr. Salmon's research is to identify predictors and determinants of disease phenotype in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and related diseases, and to thereby identify targets for therapy. In SLE and other autoimmune diseases, autoantibodies and immune complexes initiate inflammation and organ damage through receptors for IgG and complement activation products. The laboratory investigates downstream mediators and effector mechanisms of tissue injury. Their basic, translational and clinical studies have led to a paradigm shift in the understanding of mechanisms of pregnancy loss, cardiovascular disease and nephritis in patients with SLE. This work to define pathogenic mechanisms in SLE is likely to translate to non-autoimmune patients.
Dr. Salmon's laboratory defined structure-function relationships among human receptors for IgG, key effectors in immune complex diseases and showed that allelic variants were risk factors for nephritis. She led the first case-control study to define prevalence and clinical correlates of pre-clinical atherosclerosis in SLE and found accelerated and premature disease, independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors, rather related to inflammation. The laboratory is currently pioneering efforts to target endothelial cells to limit immune complex-mediated injury in experimental models and translate their findings to patients.
Building on her discovery that innate immune pathways, complement, neutrophils and TNF-α, are critical effectors of pregnancy complications in mouse models, she led an NIH-funded, multi-center 11 year prospective longitudinal study of 700 pregnant patients to identify predictors of pregnancy outcomes in patients with lupus and/or anti-phospholipid syndrome. The laboratory is probing circulating biomarkers (angiogenic factors, transcriptome profiling, etc.) that are early predictors of poor pregnancy outcomes. In addition, they are using machine learning with large prospective lupus pregnancy cohorts to create a real-world algorithm to guide risk stratification. To directly apply her discoveries to patients, Dr. Salmon has embarked on the first interventional trial of biologic therapy to protect pregnancies at high risk for preeclampsia, an approach likely to have broad public health implications.
Current Projects:
- Effector mechanisms of immune-mediated injury
- Role of vasculature in inflammation
- Pregnancy and preeclampsia
- Antiphospholipid antibodies
Bio
Dr. Salmon graduated magna cum laude from New York University and earned a medical degree in 1978 from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, where she was the first woman enrolled in their Medical Scientist Training Program. She completed training in internal medicine at The New York Hospital and in rheumatology at Hospital for Special Surgery, where she currently conducts clinical and basic research studies. At Hospital for Special Surgery, she serves as Director of Lupus and APS Center of Excellence and Senior Scientist.
Distinctions:
- Election to National Academy of Medicine
- Election to Association of American Physicians
- Identified the role of complement as a mediator of pregnancy complications
- Lupus Insight Prize, Lupus Research Alliance
- Master, American College of Rheumatology
- Evelyn V. Hess Research Award, Lupus Foundation of America
- Virginia Kneeland Frantz '22 Distinguished Women in Medicine Award, Columbia P&S Alumni
- Carol Nachman Prize, highest international award for rheumatology research
Selected Publications:
Burg N, Salmon JE, Hla T. Sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor-targeted therapeutics in rheumatic diseases. Nat Rev Rheum 18:335-351, 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9641499/
Hong S, Banchereau R, Maslow BL, Guerra MM, Cardenas J, Baisch J, Branch DW, Porter TF, Sawitzke S, Laskin CA, Buyon JP, Merrill J, Sammaritano LR, Petri M, Gatewood E, Cepika A-M, Ohouo M, Obermoser G, Anguiano E, Kim TW, Nulsen J, Nehar-Belaid D, Blankenship D, Turner J, Banchereau J, Salmon JE*, Pascual V*. Longitudinal profiling of the human blood transcriptome in healthy and lupus pregnancy. (*equal contribution) J Exp Med 216: 1154-1169, 2019.
https://rupress.org/jem/article/216/5/1154/121031/Longitudinal-profiling-of-human-blood
Qing X, Chinenov Y, Redecha P, Madaio M, Roelofs JJTH, Farber G, Issuree PD, Donlin L, Mcllwain DR, Mak TW, Blobel CP, Salmon JE. iRhom2 promotes lupus nephritis through TNF-a and EGFR signaling. J Clin Invest 128:1397-1412, 2018.
https://www.jci.org/articles/view/97650
Burg N, Swendeman S, Worgall S, Hla T, Salmon JE. Sphingosine-1 phosphate receptor-1 signaling maintains endothelial cell barrier function and protects against immune complex-induced vascular injury. Arthritis Rheum 70:1879-1888, 2018.
https://acrjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/art.40558
Girardi G, Redecha PB, Salmon JE. Heparin prevents antiphospholipid antibody-induced fetal loss by inhibiting complement activation. Nat Med 10: 1222-6, 2004.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15489858/