A blood test can predict the alteration in a protein called tenascin-C which is linked to the development of inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid Arthritis - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, FAQs
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes pain, swelling, stiffness and loss of function in the joints.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes pain, swelling, stiffness and loss of function in the joints.
‘A new biomarker detects citrullination of tenascin-C, a protein associated with the cause of inflammation in joints of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis.’
Researchers from the Oxford University’s Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology conducted the study in 1,985 Swedish and 287 North American patients with rheumatoid arthritis . Blood samples were collected from these participants and were tested for a particular protein called as citrullinated tenascin-C (cTNC). Rheumatoid arthritis is caused when the protein called Tenascin-c gets citrullinated and gets accumulated on the joints of the patients.
"We knew that tenascin-C is found at high levels in the joints of people with rheumatoid arthritis. We decided to see if it could be citrullinated and, if so, whether it was a target for the autoantibodies that attack the body in RA. That might also indicate whether it could be used in tests to indicate the disease,” said Dr. Anja Schwenzer, a researcher at the University of Oxford.
New Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Targets Underlying Cause, Not Just Symptoms
A rheumatoid arthritis treatment that aims at re-educating the immune system to look at the underlying cause of the disease has been designed by researchers.
A rheumatoid arthritis treatment that aims at re-educating the immune system to look at the underlying cause of the disease has been designed by researchers.
Professor Kim Midwood said, “This discovery gives us an additional test that can be used to increase the accuracy of the CCP assay and that can predict rheumatoid arthritis, enabling us to monitor people and spot the disease early. This is key because early treatment is more effective.”
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Novel Protein 'C5orf30' to Aid Treatment for Patients Suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis
Increasing the levels of a new protein C5orf30 in the joints might be a novel method of reducing tissue damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Increasing the levels of a new protein C5orf30 in the joints might be a novel method of reducing tissue damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Source-Medindia
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