The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Research Offers Hope of New Therapies to Prevent Bone Loss and Destruction

Research Offers Hope of New Therapies to Prevent Bone Loss and Destruction

August 1, 2010 • By From the College

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

A study recently published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases shows promise for potential new therapies to prevent bone loss and bone destruction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).1

You Might Also Like
  • Research on IL-17 Cytokine May Lead to Novel Therapies for RA
  • Th17 May Contribute to Bone Destruction by Modifying Osteoclasts
  • Clues Emerge to Bone Health, Destruction in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Explore This Issue
August 2010
Also By This Author
  • 5 Ways You Can Get Involved During Arthritis Awareness Month

The investigators conducting the study have identified several genes linked to osteoclast-mediated bone resorption. By preventing these cells from maturing and being activated, researchers believe they can more effectively stop both bone loss and bone destruction in patients with RA and related forms of joint inflammation.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Steven R. Goldring, MD, chief scientific officer at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, is the principal investigator on the project, which was funded through an ACR Research and Education Foundation Within Our Reach: Finding a Cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis research grant. Dr. Goldring believes current treatments targeting osteoclasts work reasonably well at preventing systemic bone loss but have been inadequate at preventing bone destruction in inflamed joints. “There is an unmet need for more effective agents to block the activity of the osteoclast at sites of joint inflammation,” he says.

Donate Today!

With your help, we can get closer to finding a cure for RA. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation. Every gift is important, and 100% of your donation to Within Our Reach directly funds RA research. Consider making your donation securely online at www.WithinOurReach.info.

An osteoclast undergoes specific and unique specializations that allow it to form the acidic environment needed for the removal of the mineral and protein content of bone. “In thinking about therapies, we looked at the pathways and genes that control the differentiation and adaptation that allow the osteoclast to become this super resorbing cell,” he explains. “If we could identify these molecules, it would provide an opportunity to develop more specific and uniquely targeted therapies to block the osteoclast, and these therapies would be expected to have less toxicity.”

In their research, Dr. Goldring and his colleagues were able to identify several candidate genes related to the final specialization of the osteoclast. The researchers are now working to develop pharmacologic agents to block these pathways.

“The clinical application of these agents would be relevant not just for rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases, but also potentially for systemic osteoporosis and for other skeletal complications as well,” Dr. Goldring says.

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

To learn more about this and other research funded through Within Our Reach, please visit www.WithinOurReach.info or www.rheumatology.org/REF.

Reference

  1. McHugh KP, Shen Z, Crotti TN, et al. The role of cell–substrate interaction in regulating osteoclast activation: Potential implications in targeting bone loss in rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Diseases. 2010;69(Suppl 1):i83-i85.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Pages: 1 2 | Multi-Page

Filed Under: Conditions, From the College, Rheumatoid Arthritis Tagged With: Basic research, Bone Destruction, bone loss, RA, REF News, Rheumatoid arthritis, therapyIssue: August 2010

You Might Also Like:
  • Research on IL-17 Cytokine May Lead to Novel Therapies for RA
  • Th17 May Contribute to Bone Destruction by Modifying Osteoclasts
  • Clues Emerge to Bone Health, Destruction in Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • New Research Focuses on Bone Erosion and Repair in Rheumatoid Arthritis

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2022 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.