Melbourne Researchers Propose a New Treatment for Arthritis Patients

A new treatment is being studied to help patients, suffering from diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, attain relief from the pain arising due to the diseases. The therapy has been proposed to help provide a control to the pain.
A team of researchers from the University of Melbourne explained that their study is based on a family of molecules, which was initially discovered in Melbourne. The molecules were related to the development of blood cells.
One of these molecules, granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor or GM-CSF, are responsible for carrying the messages from the cells deployed at the area of inflammation.
Professor John Hamilton believes that if the molecule is blocked, then it could serve to be a new treatment for the diseases. Prof. Hamilton and Dr. Andrew Cook have conducted a series of experiments using models of rheumatoid arthritis, which showed that if the molecule was blocked using an antibody, then it was able to restrain the disease. The results led to clinical trials, which are proving out to be beneficiary for the patients.
The results of the experiments have been published in arthritis journal, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, which emphasized that if the molecule is suppressed, then it even helps attain relief from the pain.