New treatment for rheumatoid arthritis being developed

A protein called IRHOM2 is the new target in the fight against rheumatoid arthritis. It is hoped that drugs developed could be used instead of TNF-blockers, which are expensive and some patients do not respond to them.

“We have identified a clinically relevant target that can be applied to patients in the near term,” says Dr Jane Salmon in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Scientists have been looking for alternative targets in people with inflammatory diseases against which drugs can be directed.

“In theory (the new) drugs will have less toxicity than TNF alpha blockers,” explains Dr Salmon. “They block TNF release only from specific cells, those known to contribute to joint inflammation and damage.”