It is estimated that more than 40% of people will develop osteoarthritis (OA) throughout their lives, and it is very common for this rheumatic pathology to affect the hands, causing pain and disability to patients, since there is currently no available of disease-modifying treatments that can effectively alleviate symptoms or stop joint deformity and stiffness.
A new study carried out by researchers at the University of Oxford may change this situation and open a path of hope for these people, since it has shown that the drug talarozole, which is known to increase retinoic acid, has been able to prevent osteoarthritis. in animal models of the disease. Their results have been published in Science Translational Medicine.
“Osteoarthritis of the hand is a common and debilitating medical condition that primarily affects women, especially around the time of menopause.” “We currently have no effective disease-modifying treatments,” said Tonia Vincent, Professor of Musculoskeletal Biology and Honorary Rheumatologist in Nuffield Oxford’s Department of Orthopedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS).
An effective treatment for osteoarthritis of the hand
The researchers began by studying a common genetic variant that had been linked to severe osteoarthritis of the hand. Using patient samples obtained at the time of routine hand surgery, as well as a number of experimental models, they were able to identify a key molecule that was especially low in ‘at risk’ individuals, called retinoic acid.
“This study reveals a new understanding of the causes of osteoarthritis of the hand, which could lead to the identification of new biological targets for its treatment”
Professor Vincent has detailed that “this project was only possible thanks to the multidisciplinary approach we adopted; working with our surgical colleagues hand in hand, geneticists, data scientists and biologists.” Taking advantage of the fact that the safety profile of talarozole has been found to be acceptable, a small clinical trial is being carried out to determine if this drug could constitute a new disease-modifying treatment in patients.
Dr Neha Issar-Brown, Director of Research and Health Intelligence at the charity Versus Arthritis, which has funded the research, said: “About 8.5 million people in the UK are living with OA. Although it is often dismissed as a few aches and pains, OA can have a profound and far-reaching impact on life, affecting people’s ability to work, care for a family, or live independently.”
He adds: “There is an urgent need for disease-modifying treatments designed to prevent or reverse the painful symptoms of OA. This study reveals a new understanding of the causes of osteoarthritis of the hand, which could lead to the identification of new biological targets for intervention in OA of the hand.”
“This research is still at an early stage, but with these encouraging findings we are one big step closer to being able to develop a new class of disease-modifying drugs to treat osteoarthritis, prevent chronic pain, and enable people to live well. with the condition,” concludes Dr. Issar-Brown.
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