Norwich experts edge closer to new treatment for osteoarthritis
A team of experts at the University of East Anglia is edging closer to finding a new drug target for osteoarthritis which could lead to more effective treatment.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of joint disease, and a major cause of disability and pain, affecting more than two million people in the UK There is no cure, and the main treatments are painkillers and joint replacement surgery. OA is associated with a breakdown of cartilage - a protective tissue in the joints - leading to bones rubbing together, and triggering pain and inflammation
Now Dr Ian Clark, Reader at UEA's School of Biological Sciences, and his team, has been awarded a new grant of £150,000 from the Arthritis Research Campaign, bringing his total current finding from the charity to almost £300,000.
Dr Clark is investigating how cartilage is destroyed in osteoarthritis by enzymes, and has recently discovered that one particular enzyme, called MMP-28, is produced in much higher levels in cartilage from patients with OA than in normal cartilage.
"MMPs can be viewed as biological tissues which chop up the components which make up cartilage," explained Dr Clark. "The body also produces inhibitors called TMPs which block the action of MMPs. Normally there is a balance between TIMPs and MMPs that keeps cartilage intact, but in diseases like arthritis, the balance no longer holds; the MMPs take the upper hand, causing the joint to be destroyed."
The discovery that MMP-28 is found in much higher levels in the joints of people with OA is an exciting one. Dr Clark and his team, in collaboration with scientists in York, now aim to find out why it is produced it such large amounts, and what it is doing in cartilage.
MMP-28 could become a new target for therapy in arthritis if a drug can be developed to alter its function in cartilage.
Dr Clark, who has been funded by arc since 1993, said: "Most of our research is close enough to the disease and the patient so that we don't forget its potential outcomes. We are always thinking about how our work will hopefully help people with arthritis."
For more information email info@arc.org.uk.
