Arthritis Vaccine - A Reality Sooner Rather Than Later?

Any time there's breaking news having to do with rheumatoid arthritis, and the words "cure" or "vaccine" are involved, you've grasped my attention and the attention of countless other rheumatoid arthritis patients. Before we dig into the details of the latest revolutionary development -- remember to view it with cautious optimism. BBC News has reported that according to Newcastle University researchers in the U.K., a single injection of modified cells could possibly halt the progression of rheumatoid arthritis.

A sample of a rheumatoid arthritis patient's white blood cells is taken, treated with a mix of steroids and vitamins, and re-injected back into the joint of the patient. A certain type of immune cell, known as a dendritic cell, is transformed from an autoimmune state to a tolerant state, or you could say reset to "pre-disease" mode. It is thought that the cells would remain in the pre-disease state unless whatever triggered the autoimmune response was encountered again. Not yet tested on animals or humans -- researchers are ready to do a safety trial on 8 patients. If successful, larger trials would be expected to follow. Even before the safety trial has begun, reports suggest the "arthritis vaccine" could be fully tested and made available to patients within 5 years.

Related Resources:

• Rheumatoid Arthritis Screening Quiz
• Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis
• 2008 ACR Recommendations for Treating RA
• 10 Things You Should Know About Rheumatoid Arthritis

_{Photo by Stan Rohrer (iStockphoto)}