The two most common forms of arthritis are linked to two different kinds of fibroblast, British researchers reported last night.
The different types of fibroblast are organised in different layers of the joint, according to the research at the universities of Birmingham and Oxford.
Researchers say the finding opens the way to therapies targeted at specific types of fibroblast.
According to the study, one kind is linked to osteoarthritis and the other to rheumatoid arthritis.
The findings were published in Nature last night.
Researcher Dr Adam Croft, from Birmingham, talked about the implications for rheumatoid arthritis.
He said: “Current treatments target these immune cells either directly or by trying to disrupt the signals that attract the cells to the joint. No treatments directly target fibroblasts, key effector cells in the pathology of this disease.
“Thanks to advances in technology we have now, for the first time, been able to identify which fibroblasts are pathogenic in arthritis and how they contribute to disease.
"Importantly, we found that by getting rid of these fibroblasts from the joint we could reduce the influx of immune cells to the joint, leading to less inflammation and destruction."
Fellow researcher Professor Chris Buckley said: “Just as there are different layers of soil in our gardens – top soil and subsoil – there are different types of fibroblasts in our joints – and each layer seems to be associated with a different type of arthritis.
“From a research perspective this is exciting, but the clinical implications are also very important too. For the first time, we have identified two different types of fibroblasts in the joint, which, just like the different types of soil, lead to different types of arthritis.
“The topsoil is what goes wrong in osteoarthritis, whereas in rheumatoid arthritis it’s the subsoil that is at fault."
He added: “We have now discovered a new way to classify, and therefore treat, arthritis based on the underlying cell, rather than just the clinical features and genes involved.
“Current therapies work like weed killer – they kill the weeds but the weeds come back if you don’t continue to apply the weed killer. Our research will facilitate research aimed at changing the topsoil, subsoil – or both – to treat arthritis.
“To know we are getting closer to offering patients new solutions is very exciting and we are doing it because we are finally looking at diseases using a process-driven cell based approach.”
Croft et al. Distinct fibroblast subsets drive inflammation and damage in arthritis. Nature 29 May 2019
Leave a Reply