Prospects for gene therapy in inflammatory arthritis
Gene therapy holds great promise for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this article, we focus on innovation in vector, promoter or target genes. Gene therapy is defined as…
Targeting the B Cell in Rheumatoid Arthritis
There has been renewed interest in the B cell as a target for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) over the past decade. Efficacy with rituximab has been demonstrated in…
Therapeutic opportunities in fibroblasts in inflammatory arthritis
The Identification of key players of inflammation and pathologic immune response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has resulted in the development of novel therapeutic strategies revolutionising the treatment of disease. However,…
Novel targets in bone and cartilage
The spectrum of arthritis ranges from erosive (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis) to ossifying disease with formation of new bone (e.g., ankylosing spondylitis and osteoarthritis). The molecular basis for these different patterns…
Inhibition of JAK kinases in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: scientific rationale and clinical outcomes
CP-690,550 is an orally active and selective inhibitor of the janus kinase (JAK) molecules. The molecular pathways through which the JAK moieties function are described along with the clinical mechanisms…
Treating to re-establish tolerance in inflammatory arthritis – lessons from other diseases
Therapeutic tolerance embraces the concept of ‘switching off’ immunopathology by specifically targeting elements of the immune system. It has been achievable in preclinical models of transplantation and auto-immunity for more…
Embracing novel cytokines in RA – complexity grows as does opportunity!
Current therapeutics for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) offer limited efficacy in a restricted number of patients. There is, therefore, an unmet clinical need for the development of more…
Co-stimulation and T cells as therapeutic targets
Full activation and differentiation of resting T cells into effector T cells requires at least two signals, the first through engagement of the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) by the…
Optimising the strategy of care in early rheumatoid arthritis
In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), early use of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), intensive follow-up and ‘treating to target’ to achieve low disease activity produce significant improvements in measures of disease activity,…
Challenges in clinical trial design in inflammatory arthritis
The prognosis for patients with rheumatoid arthritis has improved dramatically, thanks in large part to many new therapies and therapeutic approaches. Paradoxically, this has created problems for rheumatologists since clinically…
