HealthCure for Arthritis on the horizon with gene editing

Cure for Arthritis on the horizon with gene editing

Right now, arthritis treatment tends to be an all-or-nothing proposition: the drugs you take affect your entire body, causing havoc with your immune system and leaving you prone to infections. But how do you narrow the treatment to just those areas where you feel pain? Genetics, apparently. Researchers have used CRISPR gene editing to turn stem cells into cartilage that releases a biological anti-inflammatory drug when they encounter inflammation. It not only limits treatment to the affected area, but responds only when there’s a pain flare. You only get relief when you need it.

Advertisement
The team has only just started testing these custom stem cells in mouse models of diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. However, the dream is that they’ll eventually be used to replace arthritic cartilage and, for all intents and purposes, serve as a vaccine against arthritis. That, in turn, could prevent the secondary damage that makes arthritis that much worse. On top of this, the scientists believe their basic approach could apply to any condition where there’s a “feedback loop.” Imagine if you could treat diabetes with cells that trigger insulin production in response to glucose, for instance. This kind of automatic cell-based medicine may be years away, but it is on the horizon.
- Advertisement -spot_img

More From UrbanEdge

‘Women do not stop giving birth in an emergency’ – one month after Venezuela quakes

Paula Narvaez, Regional Director for Latin America and the...

After an Ebola centre was attacked, peacekeepers moved in next door

On 16 July, the UN peacekeeping mission in DR...

Wildfires surge across Europe as Spain and France battle major blazes

Wildfires destroyed 2.2 million hectares of land in the...

What Is the Connection Between Health and Homelessness?

Author: BlackPressUSA Newswire By Dax Janel Valencia Health and homelessness: The...

$1 Million Settlement Closes Lawsuit—but Not Questions From Osceola Deputy Shooting

Osceola County has agreed to a $1 million settlement...

Florida Supreme Court Rejects Proposed Reprimand in ‘Chopped Cotton’ Judicial Misconduct Case

The Florida Supreme Court has rejected a proposed disciplinary...

Federal Government Ends School Rule Used to Identify Unequal Racial Impact

The U.S. Education Department has stopped enforcing a civil-rights...

Sumter Sheriff Suspends Flock Cameras After Detective Accused of Misusing Police Databases

A Sumter County Sheriff’s Office detective was arrested and...
- Advertisement -spot_img