People with osteoarthritis currently have two treatment options: pain management and joint surgery; Both options can have complications, and they do not target the root causes of the disease.
In this context, Mildred Embry, a professor at the College of Assistant Dentistry at Columbia University, who leads the “Cartilage Biology and Regenerative Medicine” laboratory at the college, published a new study in the journal “Cell Stem Cell” about a drug called “Stim JEL” ( StemJEL), a patented osteoarthritis treatment developed in her laboratory, targets the disease in its early to moderate stages.
The new drug helps protect cartilage and avoid joint replacement surgery. “Osteoarthritis is a big problem,” Embry says. “As we live longer, our joints age and cartilage wears down.”
According to the study, osteoporosis is the main cause of disability among the elderly, affecting 500 million people around the world. Embry comments on this: “Although there are a large number of people suffering from osteoporosis, treatment medications are not available.”
In the new study, she and her research team discovered a growth factor in the tissue environment and cartilage cells that is important for joint formation and protection. So they formulated this agent, called sclerostin, into an injectable hydrogel treatment and showed that it could improve osteoporosis and restore joint function in rats, rabbits and pigs.
After establishing a biotechnology company, Embry and her team will submit their research to the US Food and Drug Administration next October, to conduct clinical trials and provide the new drug to patients.
A snapshot showing a group of members of the research team (Columbia University)
Saying that her research interests crystallized early, she adds: “I love cartilage, it is beautiful under the microscope. “But unlike other musculoskeletal tissues such as bone, it does not have a blood supply and source of circulating stem cells, so it cannot be easily repaired.”
Cartilage protects joints and allows them to move smoothly. But because it cannot regrow or heal when it is sick, an injury or disease that destroys this tissue can cause permanent disability.
In her postdoctoral training, she focused on the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and understood how stem cells in this joint naturally form cartilage.
The temporomandibular joint is a bilateral joint between the temporal bone of the skull at the top and the lower jaw below. It is unique and works in one piece.
In 2010, Embry and postdoctoral researcher Mu Chen discovered that sclerostin protects cartilage cells and improves osteoporosis. The first comments: “The seeds of new drug research were planted at that time,” noting that these results were published in the journal “Nature Communications” in 2016.
By 2040, Embry says, about 79 million adults in the United States alone will be diagnosed with some form of arthritis. “In response to deterioration from these injuries or aging, we incorporated the new medication to mimic the body’s natural ability to form and protect cartilage,” she says. “This is great news for all our aching and annoying joints.”
2023-09-09 15:49:24
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