Current RA research grant recipients employ innovative approaches and modern technologies to identify, isolate and study the different phases of the immune response involved in rheumatoid arthritis. Scientists are looking at both the cellular and molecular level. We have hope that a new treatment for rheumatoid arthritis can be developed or better yet that a cure can be found.
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RA Research - Bartok
RA Study: “Resident” Cells Targeted for New RA Treatment
Beatrice Bartok, MD, second-year grant recipient
University of California, San Diego
Dr. Bartok is studying joint tissues from human RA patients and mice. She has discovered how the normal joint cells become altered by the immune attack.
Damage in joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is induced by the patient’s immune system attacking its own joint tissues. However, a portion of this damage is caused by “resident” normal cells in the joint that have become altered during and after the immune attack. The altered resident cells undergo abnormal growth and healing which results in scarring, disfigurement and joint immobilization.
Potential: Dr. Bartok has discovered how the normal joint cells become altered by the immune attack. Her important findings can lead to the development of new drugs and treatments to block this destructive cellular response, thereby preventing and stopping the progressive destruction of joint tissues in RA patients.