Interleukin Genetics, Inc. (NYSE Amex: ILI) and NYU Langone Medical Center announced findings from a study performed in collaboration with Duke University on the genetics of osteoarthritis have been published this week in the "Online First" version of the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases and is available at http://ard.bmj.com/cgi/rapidpdf/ard.2009.113043v1.pdf. Results from the study highlight importance of inter-individual variations in the IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) gene as a likely determinant for whether patients with knee osteoarthritis will go on to develop a severe form of the disease. Three commonly occurring variations in the gene for IL-1Ra were found to be strongly and significantly associated with severe knee osteoarthritis, as measured on radiographs.
"This publication helps validate a predominant theory over the last five years that IL-1 is an important driver of osteoarthritis," said Steven B. Abramson, MD, Director of the Division of Rheumatology at the Hospital for Joint Diseases at NYU Langone Medical Center. "This observation for the first time shows that variations of the IL-1 receptor antagonist gene, the natural blocker of IL-1's damaging actions, may determine who is more likely to progress with the disease and require surgery. This finding can help in the clinical management of patients, facilitate the clinical testing of drugs in various stages of development for slowing progression of osteoarthritis and could lead to new treatments for the disease where there currently are none."
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent form of arthritis, affecting more than 20 million adults in the U.S., with that number expected to double over the next 50 years. OA is caused by the breakdown of the cartilage cushion in one or more joints of the body leading to pain, limitation in movement, and in many cases joint replacement. Therapy for OA patients involves mostly pain management, and no drugs are currently available to limit the progression of the disease.