Prof. Sei Kwang Hahn (MSE) and Hwiwon Lee (MSE Ph.D. candidate) dev- eloped a dramatically improved treatment for Rheumatoid art- hritis (RA) with Prof. Ji Hyeon Ju (The Catholic University of Korea) and Prof. Byung-Soo Kim (SNU).
RA, which is induced by immune disease, causes inflammation of synovial membrane which leads to the formation of too many micro vessels. The inflammation spreads to joints and articular cartilage. Then the joints become stiff and movement may become painful and difficult.
The research team combined gold nanoparticles, tocilizumab, and hyaluronate, which has cartilage-protective characteristics and lubricant effects (HA-AuNP/TCZ complex). The gold nanoparticles of the complex inhibit the formation of new vessels and are a good antioxidant. Tocilizumab, an antibody therapeutic, disrupts the combination between IL-6 and its receptor, which causes the inflammation.
Prof. Hahn said, “The HA-AuNP/TCZ complex has been proven useful for the treatment of arthritis through animal testing and we will develop a theranostic system to diagnose and cure RA using gold nanoparticles”.
The result was published in ACS Nano on May 27.