About Decoding Sjogren’s Disease: A Clinical Deep Dive
Sjogren’s is not a simple disease. Nearly 40% of patients develop organ involvement, and the risk of lymphoma is 15 to 20 times that of the general population. It’s also a disease that’s often oversimplified as "just dryness"—even by rheumatologists.
Over the course of five groundbreaking episodes, you’ll hear from the world’s leading Sjogren’s experts, who will decode what every clinician needs to know: what Sjogren’s really looks like, what’s routinely being missed, and why over the next couple of years, everything is going to change.
This content is intended for medical professionals only.
Sjögren's has long been reduced to its most visible symptoms, but the biology tells a more complex story. In this episode, Dr. Nancy Carteron walks through the immune mechanisms driving Sjögren's from the inside out, including the interplay between Type I interferon signaling and B-cell hyperactivity, how germinal center structures in the salivary glands fuel ongoing autoimmunity, and why BAFF dysregulation may be a critical and underappreciated therapeutic target.
Nancy also addresses the systemic reach of the disease into the lungs, nervous system, and beyond, and explains why a handful of routine lab values can help clinicians connect the dots earlier.
About Dr. Nancy Carteron
Dr. Carteron is a Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and the immediate past chair of the Medical and Scientific Advisory group of the Sjogren’s Foundation. She currently sees patients at the Interdisciplinary Sjogren’s Clinic at UC Berkeley. She is a nationally recognized leader in clinical innovation and research for Sjögren’s disease.
In this episode, we explore:
(00:00) Connecting routine lab values to systemic Sjögren's disease
(02:00) Why Sjögren's is no longer understood as a glandular condition
(02:34) B-cell hyperactivity and where drug targets are strongest
(03:29) Type I interferon as a loop, not a linear trigger
(05:04) Germinal centers: drivers of autoimmunity or markers of established disease
(06:54) BAFF dysregulation and why blocking it improves clinical outcomes
(08:23) Tolerance checkpoint failures and what cancer immunotherapy is teaching us
(10:11) Lung involvement and lymphocyte infiltration beyond the salivary glands
(11:22) Ro52 and Ro60 as distinct antibodies with distinct phenotypic implications
(12:44) Neurologic manifestations including ganglionopathy and what clinicians miss
(14:22) If you take one thing from this episode...
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25 Sept 2025
Innovation is Coming: The Next Era in Sjogren’s Treatment
In this episode, we look to the future of Sjogren’s care—one that’s more personalized, precise, and full of hope. We talk through how the condition is managed today and map out the key patient phenotypes, as well as explore breakthrough treatments now in late-stage trials, explaining how the next five years could transform how we treat this complex disease.
About Dr. Nancy Carteron
Dr. Carteron is a Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and the immediate past chair of the Medical and Scientific Advisory group of the Sjogren’s Foundation. She currently sees patients at the Interdisciplinary Sjogren’s Clinic at UC Berkeley. She is a nationally recognized leader in clinical innovation and research for Sjögren’s disease.
In this episode, we explore:
(00:00) Patient-centric Sjogren's diagnosis strategy
(05:21) Lymphoproliferative risks in Sjogren's
(08:49) Sjogren's: fatigue, brain fog, inflammation
(10:45) Late-stage clinical trials with therapies designed specifically for Sjogren’s
(11:50) Targeting pathways in autoimmunity
(14:28) Undetected antibodies in Sjogren's disease
(17:51) If you take one thing from this episode...
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25 Sept 2025
‘I Can’t Think, I Can’t Work’: The Hidden Toll of Sjogren’s
We center the conversation on the lived experience of Sjogren’s—where fatigue, pain, and brain fog can eclipse even the most alarming lab results. We reveal the tools, strategies, and patient support systems that can transform quality of life and break the cycle of isolation so many patients endure.
About Dr. Teja Kapoor
Dr. Kapoor is the Director of the Columbia Sjogren’s Center and a leading advocate for earlier recognition and systemic management of Sjögren’s disease.
In this episode, we explore:
(00:00) Sjogren’s as an invisible illness
(02:54) Comparing Sjogren's to other autoimmune diseases – “even worse than death”
(03:34) Measuring the quality of a Sjogren's patient experience
(04:59) Evaluating Sjogren's syndrome tools
(07:29) Holistic approach in patient care
(08:11) If you take one thing from this episode...
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25 Sept 2025
The Importance of Coordinating Care
In episode three, we reframe Sjogren’s as a team sport—and show why no single specialty can manage it alone. We explore how ophthalmologists, dentists, neurologists, gastroenterologists, and others each play a critical role, and we unpack the systemic complications that demand a truly multidisciplinary approach.
About Dr. Chadwick Johr
Dr. Johr is the Director of the Penn Sjogren’s Center and an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. His work focuses on comprehensive, team-based care for patients with complex autoimmune presentations.
In this episode, we explore:
(00:00) Collaborative care for Sjogren's patients- it's the only way
(03:26) Ophthalmologists: essential for Sjogren’s diagnosis
(06:30) How dentists, eye doctors and more can help
(07:58) Why Sjogren's is a complex multi-systemic disease
(11:46) Detecting ILD and lymphoma risks
(13:47) Other specialists needed for Sjogren's management
(17:22) If you take one thing from this episode...
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25 Sept 2025
How to Diagnose Tricky Cases
With Dr. McCoy to guide us, we go deep into the real-world challenges of diagnosing Sjogren’s—getting expert advice on how to overcome them. We share practical, in-clinic strategies for distinguishing Sjogren’s from other causes of dryness, explore the pitfalls of seronegative cases, and reveal why certain tests and interpretations can make or break an accurate diagnosis.
About Dr. Sarah McCoy
Dr. McCoy is a rheumatologist, physician scientist, and Director of the University of Wisconsin Sjogren’s Clinic. She has specialized expertise in labial salivary gland biopsies, musculoskeletal and glandular ultrasound, and the nuanced clinical evaluation of Sjogren’s.
In this episode, we explore:
(00:00) Sjogren's Disease: diagnostics and treatment challenges
(05:47) Evaluating dryness in Sjogren’s diagnosis
(07:45) Sjogren’s mimics, including infections, sarcoidosis, and IgG4-related disease.
(09:22) Sjogren's Disease evaluation process and objective testing from the office and clinic
(11:59) Imaging techniques for salivary gland diagnosis
(16:19) If you take one thing from this episode...
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25 Sept 2025
The Urgency of Early Diagnosis
In our first episode, we tackle one of Sjogren’s most dangerous problems—diagnostic delay. We uncover why early recognition is critical to preventing irreversible organ damage and reducing lymphoma risk, and we break down the systemic blind spots that keep patients suffering for years before getting answers.
About Dr. Teja Kapoor
Dr. Kapoor is the Director of the Columbia Sjogren’s Center and a leading advocate for earlier recognition and systemic management of Sjogren’s disease.
In this episode, we explore:
(00:00) Sjogren's diagnostic challenges
(05:47) Sjogren's syndrome: lymphoma risk factors
(06:54) What clinicians tend to still get wrong about Sjogren's
(08:38) Clinical red flags and cues
(12:24) The additional systematic manifestations that may be overlooked
(13:22) If you take one thing from this episode...
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