Gene expression in human orbit

Diagnosis of inflamed human orbit tissue with standard clinical and histopathology evaluation data is imprecise. A large number of these patients are diagnosed with the catch-all classification of nonspecific orbital inflammation (NSOI). We utilized gene expression analysis of orbit biopsies to assist in the classification of sarcoidosis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), thyroid eye disease (TED), IgG4-associated disease, and subdivisions of NSOI. As part of this process, we are investigating correlations between gene expression levels and disease characteristics. Anterior orbit and lacrimal gland tissues were collected for RNA extraction and analysis with Affymetrix microarrays. Biopsy samples were obtained from subjects with inflammatory diseases such as NSOI, sarcoidosis, GPA, and TED as wells as from normal controls. In some cases, more than one sample was obtained for a subject and some cases the samples were analyzed twice.