cure it with injectable cell therapy

In France, nearly 10 million people suffer from osteoarthritis, according to the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm). This pathology is linked to the destruction of the cartilage of one or more joints, causing significant pain. Osteoarthritis is a debilitating disease, especially since there is currently no curative treatment for this pathology. The solutions offered to patients only help to relieve pain and improve their living conditions.

Osteoarthritis: understanding its origin to better treat it

However, researchers have found an interesting avenue that could lead to the development of treatments for osteoarthritis. The work was published in the journal Science Advances. “Without a better understanding of what causes and what allows osteoarthritis to progress, [il est difficile de développer] effective treatmentindicates Johanna Bolander, one of the researchers behind the study, in a communiqué. Initially, we studied [les problèmes] joints affected by osteoarthritis, (…) and we used this information to develop a cellular treatment by immunotherapy.“The principle of immunotherapy is to target the patient’s immune cells so that they defend themselves against pathogens.

In people suffering from osteoarthritis, when there is a traumatic injury, it leads to inflammation of the synovial membrane (the tissue covering the inner surface of the joint and which plays a protective role in unaffected people) as well as damage to the cartilage. “Over time, the inflammation worsens, leading to breakdown of the cartilage lining the joint bones and chronic inflammation of the surrounding tissues, says Gary Poehling, another researcher. For patients, this causes severe pain, swelling and often limits daily activities.“

A therapy combining two types of cells

During their study, the researchers wanted to understand what hinders healing in patients suffering from osteoarthritis. They therefore isolated cells from the joint fluid of people suffering from osteoarthritis and observed that, isolated from the joint fluid, they could support the processes necessary for functional tissue repair. On the other hand, when the scientists added joint fluid, the cells’ capabilities were impaired. In other words, it is the fluid that causes the inflammation and not the cells.

Researchers therefore used this discovery to develop a new injectable cell therapy combining two types of cells: those that target and reduce inflammation and those that regenerate cartilage. “It is really the dynamic communication between these two cell populations that is crucial for the effectiveness of the treatment.“, adds Anthony Atala, one of the authors of the study. The first results are convincing: experts have observed that this therapy reduces inflammation and heals cartilage damage in the synovial membrane.

Additional trials must be carried out to confirm this result which, ultimately, could lead to a first treatment for osteoarthritis, a hope for the many people affected. According to Inserm65% of those over 65 suffer from this disease.