title: Gene therapy for rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Advances in understanding the biology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have opened new therapeutic avenues. One of these, gene therapy, involves the delivery to patients of genes encoding anti-arthritic proteins. This approach has shown efficacy in animal models of RA, and the first human, phase I trial has just been successfully completed. Hand surgery featured prominently in this pioneering study, as a potentially anti-arthritic gene encoding the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist was transferred to the metacarpophalangeal joints of subjects with RA one week before total joint arthroplasty. This study has confirmed that it is possible to transfer genes safely to human joints. It should pave the way for additional application of gene therapy to arthritis and other orthopaedic conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Gouze
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Ghivizzani
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gouze
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.forename: O B
authors.initials: OB
authors.lastname: Betz
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Robbins
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Herndon
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy*; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques / Q000639:trends; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans