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Researchers in London and the Netherlands say the data from the studies “could be used for the development of new therapeutic strategies to fight immune attack of otherwise healthy tissues.”

In the study, scientists at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology in London may have discovered a route of therapeutic attack on RA. Led by Dr. Marco Londi, the study examined how injecting an antibody that binds to a molecule present on the body’s T cells controlled the progression of the disease. Using mice, the researchers found that the animals treated with the antibody had reduced joint damage and swelling.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease that causes severe pain, swelling, stiffness and loss of joint movement. There is presently no cure for the disease, which is caused by the body’s immune system attacking its own tissue.

Source: Nature Medicine