Health Conditions

What is on the horizon?

Although the present generation of medications for arthritis can help control the disease, most have side effects, and none, so far, can provide a cure. As a result, research into the various kinds of arthritis diseases is ongoing, as scientists attempt to devise more effective tactics to fight the disease.

While there are several medications available to treat the symptoms of osteoarthritis, currently none of the available treatments have the ability to stop or reverse the progression of damage to the joints. Researchers are presently studying several drugs that have the potential to decrease cartilage destruction in the joints of patients with osteoarthritis. There is also research underway to study new compounds that would treat the symptoms of osteoarthritis while causing fewer side effects.

To design drugs that can interrupt the cascade of reactions that cause an immune system disorder like rheumatoid arthritis, researchers try to identify the enzymes that are involved in the process. Once an enzyme is identified, researchers use sophisticated microscopic techniques to identify its structure. When the structure is known, scientists can design drugs that will bind with an active site in the enzyme, and thus short-circuit the process.