New treatment for rheumatoid arthritis

The study was led by Dr. Karen M. Doody of the Cell Biology Branch of the La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunity in California, USA, published in the May 20 issue of the journal Science Translational Medcine.

"Currently, the treatment in this area is usually achieved by destroying the immune system. However, about 40% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis do not achieve significant therapeutic effects. If the immune response is further inhibited, it will cause infection." Dr. Bottini, an associate professor from the UCSD Medical School in the United States, said.

"Therefore, we hope to accurately target cartilage and bone damage in the joints, as well as the cell types of the inflammatory response, and then develop some therapies that combine current treatments to improve disease control efficiency."

There is currently no suitable method for targeted therapy of fibroblastic cells, a key factor in triggering rheumatoid arthritis. Bottini believes that fibroblasts release proteases to digest cartilage tissue, while they promote osteoblast differentiation, attacking bones and producing erosion. "By blocking the fibroblastic cells, you can directly protect your joints from damage."

In a series of experiments, Dr. Bottini et al. identified a class of proteases called RPTP, which are abundantly expressed on the surface of fibroblasts and regulate the physiological processes involved in disease development. Later, they developed a class of drug interventions that control RPTP phosphatase activity. The results showed that the combination of a class of proteoglycans with the extracellular domain of RPTP significantly reduced the severity of rheumatoid arthritis in mice.

"Rheumatoid arthritis is a type of autoimmune disease, so people often want to relieve the disease by regulating the activity of the immune system. However, if the target cells at the joint site can be controlled at the same time, then the control of the immune system is Don't be too aggressive."