Sjogren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease in which the bodies' immune system accidentally attacks its own moisture producing glands. Sjogren's syndrome is one of the most widespread autoimmune disorders and has affected over 4,000,000 Americans. Of those affected, 9 out of 10 patients are female and in their late 40's.The signature symptoms are extremely dry mouth and eyes. Sjogren's may also cause dryness of other parts of the body including the kidneys, lungs, pancreas, blood vessels and even the central nervous system. Some have been known to suffer exhaustion and joint pain. A few patients experience mild symptoms while others face harsher symptoms which can greatly affect their everyday life. Little is known about this disease, but current research has given us new information on Sjogren's syndrome.

In October of 2004 at Duke University Medical Center, immunologists Yuan Zhuang, HongMei Li and MeiFang Dai, conducted research on Sjogren's syndrome. The only...