Gene therapy for rheumatoid arthritis: tested on humans
Gene transplantation for patients with rheumatoid arthritisAlexey Levin, Voice of America
This message appeared in the February issue of the journal Human Gene Therapy.
Rheumatoid arthritis is the second most common among all rheumatic diseases, second only to osteoarthritis. It occurs as a result of inflammation and destruction of articular tissues caused by abnormal activity of the patient's immune system. Such diseases are called autoimmune, and their list is quite long. In addition to rheumatoid arthritis, it includes type 1 diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, glomerulonephritis, hemolytic anemia and other diseases.
The clinical experiment was led by Professor Christopher Evans of Harvard University, who also heads the Center for Orthopedic Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Boston Clinical Hospital. A few years ago, he and his colleagues proved that interleukin-1, a representative of an extensive family of proteins that control immune responses, plays a significant role in the development of rheumatoid arthritis. This result became the ideological justification of the new gene therapy.
To participate in the trials, doctors selected two elderly German women suffering from severe arthritis. Tissue scrapings were taken from their joints and infected with a specially designed retrovirus. This virus carried a built-in human gene that provides synthesis of a protein that blocks the action of interleukin-1. Then the experimenters multiplied the cells captured by the virus and re-planted them in the joints of the patients. After 4 weeks, both women felt better, although to varying degrees. They have reduced the degree of inflammation of the affected joints, and pain has noticeably decreased. The organizers of the experiment believe that the new therapy for rheumatoid arthritis has fully proved its promise.
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru28.01.2009