York scientist targets osteoarthritis in new research
A York scientist is aiming to find out more about a protein which could be crucial in the development of the common joint disease, osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis affects more than two million mainly older people in the UK, causing stiff, painful joints. It is a major cause of disability and there is neither an effective treatment to stop the disease worsening, nor a cure. The only available treatment is pain relief and replacing the worn out joints.
Dr Vera Knäuper, lecturer in biology ay the University of York, has been awarded a £145,880 grant over three years by the Arthritis Research Campaign to find out more about a protein that blocks the activity of another enzyme that causes cartilage destruction.
Cartilage is the slippery substance at the end of bones, which acts as a shock absorber, and allows the joints to move freely. The wearing away of cartilage leads to the development of arthritis.
"Certain enzymes called MMPs break down the tissues of the body such as cartilage, and can be viewed as biological scissors which chop up the components making up these tissues," explained Dr Knäuper. " These enzymes are normally kept in check by an inhibitor called RECK, which blocks the activity of these MMPs. We have shown that as arthritis progresses, insufficient amounts of RECK are produced, which allows the MMP enzymes to destroy the joints.
"We don't know why this happens, and in this project we want to find out how RECK works to protect the joints."
Nationally and internationally, scientists are currently turning their attention to try to understand how and why osteoarthritis happens, and to find out more about the numerous enzymes that appear to be responsible for cartilage breakdown. Dr Knäuper hopes that her RECK research may ultimately lead to a new therapy which could help people keep their joints intact and healthy, as RECK gene therapy could hold up cartilage destruction.
The Arthritis Research Campaign (arc) is the fourth largest medical research charity in the UK, and the only one solely dedicated to finding the cause and cure of all kinds of arthritis.
