Publications

Objective: Links between pain and joint degradation are poorly understood. We investigated the role of activation of Toll-like receptors (TLR) by cartilage metabolites in initiating and maintaining the inflammatory loop in OA causing joint destruction. Methods: Synovial membrane explants (SMEs) wer...

Read the publication

• Osteoarthritis

OBJECTIVE: Currently, there are no disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs (DMOADs) approved for osteoarthritis. It is hypothesized that a subtype of OA may be driven by inflammation and may benefit from treatment with anti-inflammatory small molecule inhibitors adopted from treatments of rheumatoid ...

Read the publication

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatology

There is a lack of biochemical markers for non-invasive and objective assessment of symptomatic osteoarthritis (OA). Aggrecanase activity has been shown to be associated with joint deterioration and symptomatic disease through the degradation of extracellular matrix proteins, such as type III collag...

Read the publication

• Rheumatology
• Osteoarthritis

OBJECTIVE: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, autoimmune and degenerative joint disease leading to disability, reduced life quality, and increased mortality. Although several synthetic and biological disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are available, there is still a medical need fo...

Read the publication

• Rheumatology
• Rheumatoid Arthritis

BACKGROUND: Sprifermin (recombinant human fibroblast growth factor 18) is in clinical development as a potential disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug (DMOAD). In vitro studies have shown that cartilage regenerative properties of sprifermin involve chondrocyte proliferation and extracellular matrix ...

Read the publication

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatology

OBJECTIVE: Biologics for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with moderate to severe disease may preserve joint function. Matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3), a key tissue degrading protease, is highly elevated in RA. MMP-3, which measures the total pool of circulating MMP-3 species (cMMP3), is a comm...

Read the publication

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Rheumatology

OBJECTIVE: Characterize biomarkers measuring extracellular matrix turnover of inflamed osteoarthritis synovium. METHODS: Human primary fibroblast-like synoviocytes and synovial membrane explants (SMEs) treated with various cytokines and growth factors were assessed by C1M, C3M, and acMMP3 in the co...

Read the publication

• Rheumatology
• Osteoarthritis

The disabling and painful disease osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. Strong evidence suggests that a subpopulation of OA patients has a form of OA driven by inflammation. Consequently, understanding when inflammation is the driver of disease progression and which OA patients m...

Read the publication

• Rheumatology
• Osteoarthritis

The identification and clinical demonstration of efficacy and safety of osteo- and chondro-protective drugs are met with certain difficulties. During the last few decades, the pharmaceutical industry has, in the field of rheumatology, experienced disappointments associated with the development of di...

Read the publication

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatology