Breakthrough Progress in Treating Arthritis

Researchers in Korea have found a clue that could help treat rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease.

“The study result will make great progress in developing [a treatment for] rheumatoid arthritis,” says Professor Park Seong-Ho of the Life Science Department at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology.

The researchers discovered a mechanism involved in forming osteoblasts that damage joint bones in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. NFATC1 “super-enhancer” RNA was found to play an essential role in this osteoclast formation. Therefore, the disappearance of NFATC1 “super-enhancer” RNA inhibits the osteoblast differentiation process. Their research paper entitled “RANKL-responsive epigenetic mechanism reprograms macrophages into bone-resorbing osteoclasts” is set to be published this month.