About the project
Autoimmunity is with cancer and cardiovascular disease ranked as the most common causes of morbidity in the world today. RA is a chronic, systemic inflammatory autoimmune disorder associated with harmful activity and proliferation of white blood cells (lymphocytes) that attack and destroy flexible (synovial) joints. The etiology of RA is not known and there is no known cure. However, early detection and aggressive therapy have proven effective in dampening RA symptoms. At an early stage methotrexate (MTX), a potent anti-cancer drug is prescribed. The use of MTX which inhibits all forms of cell proliferation is associated with severe side effects and markedly reduced life quality for many of the RA patients.
We hypothesize that developing drugs which specifically target lymphocyte proliferation can be used to more precisely treat and dampen RA symptoms.
Financing
The Research Council of Norway
Cooperation
The project is performed in collaboration with Professor Tore K. Kvien and Dr. Guro Løvik Goll at the Dept. of Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet Hospital in Oslo, Professor Friedrich Herberg, Department of Biochemistry, University of Kassel, Germany, Professor Magnar Bjørås, the Core facility for Structural Biology at Centre for Molecular Biology and Neuroscience (CMBN) at Oslo University Hospital (OUS) and Dr. Katja B. P. Elgstøen Dept of Medical Biochemistry, OUS.
Start-finish
2013-ongoing