Rheumatoid Arthritis

Enzyme ID'd that helps spur RA-related bone loss

John Carroll — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:05:26 -0400

It's long been known that an overabundance of the immune chemical TNF alpha destroys cartilage and bone in rheumatoid arthritis patients and cuts their supply of bone-building osteoblasts. New experiments at the University of Rochester determined that TNF alpha works through the Smurf1 enzyme, which turns off two proteins that spur bone development. And that insight is likely to play a role in the development of new RA drugs.

"The significance of our study is that it identifies Smurf1 as the signaling partner through which TNF does its damage in RA-related bone loss," said Lianping Xing. The finding "enables us to begin designing small molecule drugs to shut down the action of Smurf1 and its relatives. Furthermore, since mice engineered to have less Smurf1 develop thicker bones, future drugs that shut down Smurf1 may be also useful against more common forms of osteoporosis simply by changing the dose. Of course, this is early stage work with many obstacles ahead, but is exciting nonetheless."

- check out the release
- read the story from HealthDay

Sanofi turns to China for R&D partnerships

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 06:59:59 -0400

The R&D wing at Sanofi-Aventis is turning to China to find new ways to fight cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. The French pharma giant wants to forge a half dozen research partnerships with scientists in state-funded labs and Chinese universities. Analysts note that while China has become a key player for low cost- -and sometimes high risk--drug manufacturing, Chinese officials have been investing huge sums to build up its drug research operations. China intends to become a leader in drug research, and the world's drug developers are playing close attention to the opportunities that trend will offer them.

"I think the amount of people with a master's in biology in China is now bigger than the number of people with a master's in biology in the U.S.," Marc Cluzel (photo), head of Sanofi's R&D, tells the Wall Street Journal. "The number of people with a Ph.D. in biology in the U.S. is still higher than in China, but it's getting closer and closer. And they are doing some good fundamental science."

- read the report in the Wall Street Journal

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Gene therapy study relieves pain in RA mice model

Mon, 28 May 2007 20:01:39 -0400

Scientists have successfully tested a new gene therapy approach to treating pain and other symptoms linked to rheumatoid arthritis. They took an adeno-associated virus--a standard delivery tool in gene therapy--to transport the mu-opioid receptor gene to the joints of afflicted mice. Those receptors facilitate the entry of the body's natural painkillers into cells and the more of them a patient has around affected joints the more responsive they are to the natural approach. Dr. Stephanos Kyrkanides of the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York said that the method eased the pain in the mice and also treated the pathology. The researchers used the actual human gene in the study, leading them to believe that there is a high likelihood of success when the same approach is tried on humans.

- read the report on the gene therapy work from Scientific American

ALSO: Another research team has used gene therapy to cure hereditary blindness caused by a genetic impairment. Report

Related Article:
Scientists unveil new pathway for rheumatoid arthritis. Report

Scientists unveil new pathway for rheumatoid arthritis

Wed, 16 Aug 2006 20:01:39 -0400

A research team of scientists from Biogen Idec and the University of Geneva say they have found a new pathway to treat rheumatoid arthritis, a condition that affects up to one percent of the world's population. Their work indicates that inhibiting the TWEAK molecule can interrupt the disease. TWEAK is one of the family of molecules known as Tumor Necrosis Factor--or TNF--that plays a big role in the immune system and inflammation. TNF creates the inflammatory proteins cytokines and chemokines and TNF-inhibiting therapies are used to treat RA. This new research indicates that TWEAK promotes inflammatory proteins and metalloprotease enzymes, stimulating angiogenesis in synovial tissue. And, they say, it seems apparent that TWEAK promotes symptoms common to RA. Their work may well quickly trigger new research into therapies that can inhibit TWEAK, as the new biologics for treating RA--such as Enbrel and Remicade--are blockbuster therapies.

- check out the report on Biogen Idec from Drug Researcher

Scientists find new white blood cell for immunology

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 20:01:39 -0400

Two white blood cells known as Th1 and Th2 have long been recognized for their powerful role in directing immune cells to fight infections and some cancers. Now, though, scientists have identified a third white blood cell that works in tandem with Th1 and Th2, and the discovery is promising to shake up research projects for rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease.

- here's the article from AL.com