Nanoparticles deliver engineered protein to prevent joint damage

Researchers at Washington University have developed nanoparticles to treat the inflammation that wears away at joint cartilage in patients with osteoarthritis.

Traditional treatment methods to reduce inflammation involve steroid injections, but the body quickly washes them away, leaving the cells vulnerable to more inflammation.

“I see a lot of patients with osteoarthritis, and there’s really no treatment,” senior author Dr. Christine Pham said, according to the university. “We try to treat their symptoms, but even when we inject steroids into an arthritic joint, the drug only remains for up to a few hours, and then it’s cleared. These nanoparticles remain in the joint longer and help prevent cartilage degeneration.”

Get the full story at our sister site, Drug Delivery Business News. 

The post Nanoparticles deliver engineered protein to prevent joint damage appeared first on MassDevice.

from MassDevice http://ift.tt/2dy0njB