New hope for people who are disabled and/or filled with pain due to rheumatoid arthritis. Fusion molecule found to cure rheumatoid arthritis in mice By Nick Lavars August 6, 2014 A new fusion molecule, when combined with an anti-inflammatory drug, has been shown to cure rheumatoid arthritis in mice (Photo: Shutterstock) While advances have been made in treating rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease causing inflammation of joints in the body, scientists are yet to develop a cure for the disease. But researchers from ETH Zurich, Switzerland have developed a new therapy that has shown to fully cure the condition in mice, leaving the team hopeful of commencing human trials as early as 2015. The researchers developed a new type of molecule where an antibody is fused with the bodys own immune messenger interleukin (IL-4). When injected, the antibody is drawn to a certain type of protein that only exists in inflamed tissue, taking the IL-4 component along for the ride. Previous studies have established that IL-4 is effective in preventing cartilage and bone damage in mice with rheumatoid arthritis, so merging the two meant that the researchers could target the disease with a new level of precision.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 00:01:01 +0000
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