Drs. Bleier and Workman Awarded Best Basic Science Research Presentation Award at ARS Annual Meeting

Alan Workman, MD, and Benjamin Bleier, MD, FACS, were awarded the Best Basic Science Research Presentation Award by the American Rhinologic Society (ARS) for their presentation on the potential role of the protein Cystatin-SN in the development of nasal polyp disease.

The award was presented at the ARS’s 67th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles and is awarded to authors who present the best basic research manuscript at the annual meeting, as determined by attending ARS members. Dr. Workman (pictured, top-left), a PGY-4 OHNS resident, and Dr. Bleier (pictured, bottom-left), director of the Otolaryngology Translational Research at Mass Eye and Ear, attended the conference in-person to present their work.

Their manuscript, entitled “Coagulation and Fibrinolysis Pathway Derangements in a Cystatin-Induced Murine Model of CRSwNP,” demonstrated the potential role of the protease inhibitor Cystatin-SN (CST1), a protein commonly deployed to fight allergens, in the development of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), or nasal polyp disease. Conclusions from the presentation suggest that CST1 may play a key role in the development of nasal polyp disease through induced alterations in coagulation and fibrinolysis, and that CST1 may serve as a new target for more effective treatments.