Research Team Discovers Rheumatoid Arthritis Can Be Treated With Drugs Approved For Other Conditions
The research of an international team led by Dr. Robert Plenge, formerly of Harvard Medical School, and Yukinori Okada, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences in Japan, recently discovered42 previously unidentified areas within the human genome which are directly associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis. According to the findings, these areas are currently being targeted by medications with approval to treat other conditions not related to this type of arthritis.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease and one of over 100 different types of arthritis. Unlike Osteoarthritis, the most common version of the disease, in Rheumatoid Arthritis the immune system mistakenly attacks body tissue. Rheumatoid Arthritis affects the hands and any other joint membranes with the exception of the lower back.
The study conducted was a genome-wide association study in which genetic regions were scanned in search of variations that may possibly occur within the human genome in people who have a particular disease or condition versus those who do not. Scientists from 70 institutions took part in the study where 10 million gene variants were identified and analyzed from 100,000 participants deriving from European and Asian descent. The study included 29,000 people with Rheumatoid Arthritis and 73,000 controls.
By comparing and identifying reoccurring genes they shared, the team was able to narrow the spectrum of individuals who are more inclined to develop Rheumatoid Arthritis. The comparison also allowed the team to identify the previously unknown sets of gene areas causative of the disease.
Dr. Plenge stated, “By leveraging human genetic data, we were able to shed light on genes and pathways that contribute to the onset of rheumatoid arthritis. In the future, this approach could be applied to a variety of other complex diseases to discover new pathways and biological insights for drug discovery.”
Sources:
http://www.nih.gov/researchmatters/january2014/01132014arthritis.htm