Myositis Program
An alliance dedicated to diagnosis, treatment, and research aimed at curing myositis.
Muscle weakness that makes climbing stairs, rising from a chair, lifting objects, or swallowing food difficult is often the earliest sign of myositis. In some individuals, initial symptoms may include a recurrent skin rash, arthritis, shortness of breath, or simply an inability to maintain their usual level of activity. Myositis is an umbrella term for a group of rare autoimmune diseases, including dermatomyositis, polymyositis, immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy, antisynthetase syndrome, and inclusion body myositis, that together affect tens of thousands of individuals in the United States. These conditions can lead to significant disability and, in some cases, life-threatening complications.
The Myositis Clinic at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston is a patient-centered clinical and research program dedicated to delivering comprehensive care to individuals with myositis. Our mission is to provide expert diagnosis, state-of-the-art treatment, and longitudinal care while advancing scientific discovery to improve outcomes for patients with these complex diseases.
Our multidisciplinary team is led by Dr. Eleni Tiniakou, a rheumatologist with over a decade of subspecialty expertise in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, focusing on complex diagnostic evaluation and longitudinal management, and Dr. Suur Biliciler, a neurologist with specialized training in neuromuscular disorders, with extensive experience in electrodiagnostic testing, muscle biopsy interpretation, and the evaluation of both acquired and inherited myopathies. Together, they collaborate closely with pulmonologists, dermatologists, cardiologists, pathologists, and radiologists across UTHealth Houston. This integrated approach allows us to address the full spectrum of muscle, lung, skin, and systemic manifestations of myositis.
In parallel with clinical care, the UTHealth Houston Myositis Clinic is deeply committed to translational and clinical research. We maintain an active myositis registry and biorepository and apply cutting-edge molecular and immunologic techniques to better understand disease mechanisms, identify biomarkers, and discover new therapeutic targets. Our program also participates in investigator-initiated and multicenter clinical trials designed to improve treatment strategies, reduce disease-related morbidity, and enhance quality of life for patients living with myositis.