Rheumatoid Arthritis News and Research

Latest Rheumatoid Arthritis News and Research

Innovative drug production project secures funding from Technology Strategy Board

PolyTherics, a biopharmaceutical spin-out company from Imperial College London and the London School of Pharmacy, has announced that it has secured funding from the Technology Strategy Board.

29 Nov 2007

New research helps explain how tumors go undetected by the body

Scientists studying how immune cells are regulated in healthy individuals, have made a key discovery in understanding why tumours may go undetected by the immune system and remain untreated by the body's own natural defences.

19 Nov 2007

Combining medications often best strategy to battle rheumatoid arthritis

For patients with rheumatoid arthritis, combining one well-known, lower-cost synthetic drug with one of six biologic medications often works best to reduce joint swelling or tenderness, according to a new report by researchers at the RTI International-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Evidence-based Practice Center, which is sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

19 Nov 2007

Geisinger rheumatologists redesign osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis care

With the nation collectively spending about $18 billion per year on osteoporosis related bone fractures, Geisinger researchers found that streamlining the ordering process for osteoporosis bone density scans quadrupled the number of patients who received the exam.

19 Nov 2007

Blood clotting protein fibrin plays a role in rheumatoid arthritis

Researchers at Cincinnati Children's have issued the first study showing that a protein normally involved in blood clotting (fibrin), also plays an important role in the inflammatory response and development of rheumatoid arthritis.

19 Nov 2007

More than six out of ten people with diabetes are walking around in the wrong-sized shoes

More than six out of ten people with diabetes are walking around in the wrong-sized shoes, exposing themselves to serious foot problems that could lead to amputation, according to research in the November issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

14 Nov 2007

Placenta uses a cloaking device similar to that used by parasites

The placenta uses a cloaking device similar to that used by parasites to avoid detection by the mother's immune system. MRC funded scientists looking to develop a diagnostic test for pre-eclampsia, a major and potentially fatal cause of fetal and maternal illness, made the amazing discovery which could have far reaching implications.

13 Nov 2007

Lexicon files investigational NDA for LX2931 in rheumatoid arthritis

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that it has submitted an investigational new drug (IND) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for LX2931, an oral drug candidate for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune conditions.

13 Nov 2007

Discovery of key pathway, potential drug targets in autoinflammatory disease

Molecular biologists at Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia have detailed the cascade of cellular events behind some potentially dangerous autoinflammatory diseases.

13 Nov 2007

Prazosin curbs brain damage from post-traumatic stress disorder

A drug used to treat high blood pressure and enlargement of the prostate may protect the brain from damage caused by post-traumatic stress disorder, Alzheimer's disease, depression and schizophrenia.

6 Nov 2007

Researchers identify gene behind rheumatoid arthritis

University of Manchester researchers have identified a genetic variant in a region on chromosome 6 that is associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the most common inflammatory arthritis affecting 387,000 people in the UK.

From The University of Manchester 5 Nov 2007

Most people living longer except rheumatoid arthritis sufferers

New research by the Mayo Clinic has found that while most people are living longer the same is not true for sufferers from rheumatoid arthritis.

30 Oct 2007

Comparison of mortality trends among rheumatoid arthritis subjects

An autoimmune inflammatory disease that takes a progressive toll on the heart, kidney and liver as well as the joints, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with a high risk of early death.

29 Oct 2007

Extensive review supports safety of silicone breast implants

An exhaustive review - the first in almost a decade, including the latest evidence on the health effects of silicone breast implants - finds no increase in the risk of cancers, connective tissue diseases, or other serious chronic diseases.

28 Oct 2007

New imaging technique ensures rapid profiling of autoantibodies in rheumatoid arthritis

Using a new imaging technique, a fast and accurate profile of autoantibodies present in the blood serum of rheumatic patients can be made.

25 Oct 2007

New understanding of vagus nerve's role in regulating inflammation

It used to be dogma that the brain was shut away from the actions of the immune system, shielded from the outside forces of nature.

24 Oct 2007

Gold-like drugs to treat arthritis

Scientists at Duke University Medical Center may have solved the mystery surrounding the healing properties of gold - a discovery they say may renew interest in gold salts as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases.

22 Oct 2007

Lilly and MacroGenics to develop and commercialize teplizumab

Eli Lilly and Company and MacroGenics, Inc. have announced that the two companies have entered into a global strategic alliance to develop and commercialize teplizumab, a humanized anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody, as well as other potential next generation anti-CD3 molecules for use in the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

19 Oct 2007

Abbott creates one molecule with two antibody functions

Abbott has reported that its scientists are the first to discover a proprietary technology that combines the function and specificity of two or more monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) into one molecular entity that demonstrates drug-like properties and manufacturing feasibility.

19 Oct 2007

Phase II map of human genetic variation

The International HapMap Consortium today published analyses of its second-generation map of human genetic variation, which contains three times more markers than the initial version unveiled in 2005.

18 Oct 2007