RESEARCH - Identification could lead to the development of new therapies

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New Pathway Involved in Rheumatoid Arthritis Identified

Released: 4/12/2010 8:00 PM EDT

Source: Hospital for Special Surgery

Identification Could Lead to the Development of New Therapies

Newswise — Investigators from Hospital for Special Surgery have

identified a pathway involved in turning off inflammation that does

not work properly in people with inflammatory arthritis. The finding,

reported in the April 23 issue of the journal Immunity, could lead to

the development of new therapeutic approaches to treating arthritis in

the future.

“This is the first study to link this pathway to rheumatoid arthritis.

In the twenty years or so that I have been studying regulation of

inflammation, this seems to be the most potent inhibitory mechanism

that we have seen,” said Lionel Ivashkiv, M.D., associate chief

scientific officer at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City

and lead author of the study that has appeared online ahead of print.

For several years, Dr. Ivashkiv’s lab has been studying what regulates

the production of cytokines in inflammatory diseases. Cytokines are

small proteins that regulate inflammation; some cytokines spark

inflammation and some cytokines are anti-inflammatory. By identifying

pathways involved in cytokine production, the researchers hope to open

up new therapeutic avenues for diseases such as arthritis in which

cytokine production does not work properly.

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Read the full article here:

http://www.newswise.com/articles/new-pathway-involved-in-rheumatoid-arthritis-id\

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