Arthritis cure on the cards?

Description and Advantages

Scientists have succeeded in curing rheumatoid arthritis in mice. Arthritis causes swelling and inflammation in joints and can destroy the cartilage and bone. The new therapy uses a combination of two components: body's own immune messenger interleukin 4 (IL-4) and an antibody to IL-4 that binds to a protein found only in inflamed tissues. This fused molecule ensures that the drug targets only inflamed areas. This molecule, in combination with a common arthritis drug dexamethasone, was found to have completely cured mice of arthritis.

Source

Down to Earth, September 2014