You wouldn't believe how many people are working to repair us from our disease. This is just a couple, there are so many new promising drugs in the works and many with-out bad side affects such as these two. Hang in there, the cure is soon:
Main Category: Arthritis News Do a search on BioLineRX to see good things in the works. NEXT: Main Category: Arthritis News Now & then, You will be able to afford it. Think good thoughts, they are just as cheap as bad thoughts. Good dreams are just as inexpensive as bad dreams and dreams we dream, dreams that we dare to, dreams can really come true, even good dreams. LEV
Article Date: 27 Feb 2007 - 15:00 PDT
Healthcare Professional:
The transformation in her laboratory mice was so dramatic that Israeli biochemist Prof. Rachel Levy could not believe her eyes when she first saw the results. The mice, suffering from severe rheumatoid arthritis, had been unable to move because of their extremely swollen and deformed paws and limbs. But within six days of treatment with an innovative anti-inflammatory antisense drug, the inflammation was reduced so significantly, the mice were running about normally.
Levy's breakthrough in discovering the drug, labeled BL-3030, was the result of years of extensive research focused on host defense mechanism against infections and inflammation, a common cause of death particularly among the elderly.
Inflammation is a critical factor in numerous diseases affecting a significant part of the population worldwide. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic and often debilitating autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks joint tissue, leading to pain, inflammation, deformity and disability that can be permanent.
At present, inflammatory diseases are treated with steroids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These drugs have either limited therapeutic benefit or severe side effects, which prevent their long-term use.
Levy's BL-3030 molecule, prevents the synthesis of a protein known as cytosolic phospholipase A2, which has a critical role in development of inflammation.
"It is very specific molecule and, at least in the mouse model, has no side effects. Arthritis in mice is very similar to that suffered in humans," said Levy, a professor of clinical biochemistry and head of the Division of Basic Sciences in the Faculty of Health Sciences of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev; and also head of the Infectious Diseases Laboratory at Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheva.
Recently Israel's leading drug development company, BioLineRx, signed an agreement with B.G. Negev (BGN) Technologies Ltd., the technology transfer company of Ben-Gurion University and Mor Research Applications, Ltd., the Technology Transfer Office of Clalit Health Services.
BioLine is investing a reported million into the development and commercialization of the Bl-3030 drug, which could mean an effective medication against a wide range of inflammatory diseases. Testing on humans is expected to begin in about two years.
For Levy, who has been able to combine an extremely demanding academic career with the rigors of raising a family, this discovery was another peak in a career filled with achievement.
Levy grew up in Beersheva during its pioneering days. She has always felt an affinity for the Negev. "Luckily my husband fell in love with the city of Beersheva as well as with me and came to study at BGU," she told ISRAEL21c. "His mission to settle in the Negev coincided with my hopes to raise our three children in the special atmosphere here."
In addition to her research work, Levy oversees a staff of 70, and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses at BGU. When she first began her scientific career the field was dominated by men. But that has changed, she points out. "In the health sciences today, there are many women scientists, despite the fact that one must go abroad for postdoctoral fellowship."
Levy recalls that she submitted her MSc thesis four days before the birth of her first child, "just enough time to knit a blanket!" She then took a break from the university for five years and taught high school, then returned to academia to write her PhD. She did her post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Maryland.
Levy's oldest son finished his studies in Department of Communication Systems Engineering at BGU, while her younger son just started his first year in the same Department. Her daughter, however, is following in her mother's footsteps, and is now studying for a PhD in neuron-science at the Weizmann Institute.
http://www.israel21c.org Investigational Anti-Inflammatory Drug Produces Promising Results In Animal Studies
Article Date: 31 Jul 2007 - 0:00 PDT
Healthcare Professional:
A new investigational anti-inflammatory drug has produced promising results in scientific animal studies as an arthritis control therapy.
The new drug is a proprietary compound developed by Australian biotechnology company Novogen Limited (Nasdaq: NVGN; ASX: NRT) from its phenolic technology platform.
The effect of the new drug was examined using a well established model of arthritis in rats which mimics the joint inflammation found in human arthritis. A joint 'score' was determined based on the degree of swelling and redness, as well as the number of joints involved. In the Novogen study, the scoring was performed by an operator 'blinded' to the identity of the treatment the rats received. A group of eight rats given the drug in their feed showed significantly lower joint scores (p = 0.008) when compared with the joint scores from another group of eight rats given untreated feed.
The research, made public today, was conducted by Associate Professor Michael James, the Chief Hospital Scientist at the Rheumatology Unit in the Royal Adelaide Hospital. The study was conducted with the approval of the Royal Adelaide Hospital Animal Ethics Committee according to National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines.
The drug is one of a family of novel anti-inflammatory therapeutics discovered by Novogen, known as FAIMs (flavonoid anti-inflammatory molecules).
Professor James said that the FAIM concept involved a new approach to treating arthritis, and other inflammatory conditions.
"These results are encouraging and suggest that the FAIM concept is valid and could lead to a new class of anti-inflammatory drugs that would not be expected to have the safety problems of the existing anti-inflammatory agents," Professor James said.
FAIMs comprise a family of therapeutics presenting a new method of treating inflammation. These compounds possess robust anti-inflammatory activity in vitro and, as now demonstrated also in vivo, and are designed to avoid cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and renal side effects and may even be cardio-protective.
Inflammation and pain are currently most commonly treated with non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. However, these are associated with undesirable side effects, including gastrointestinal bleeding and ulcers, as well as kidney damage.
Recently, it has also been highlighted that these agents, particularly the selective COX-2 inhibitors, are associated with an increase in heart attacks and other adverse cardiovascular events. These problems occur because NSAIDs all work by inhibiting the enzyme called COX.
Program Leader of the Novogen ant-inflammatory and cardiovascular drug research program, Dr. Cath Walker, said the mechanism of action for the anti- inflammatory effect of those FAIMs was now established within the Novogen research program and had been accomplished by mechanisms other than COX inhibition.
"This means they should not have the side effects of NSAIDS or selective COX-2 inhibitors," Dr. Walker said.
"This result provides encouragement that the FAIM concept should be pursued in human clinical studies.
"Our intention is to determine whether they will be effective in treatment of arthritis, back pain and other inflammatory conditions," Dr. Walker said.
About Novogen
Novogen is an Australian based biotechnology company in the business of research and development of drugs derived from its phenolic technology platform. The Company manages its research and development programs utilizing the expertise and clinical research capabilities of universities and hospitals in Australia, USA and Europe. Novogen's drug program is researching and developing compounds for the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease and osteoarthritis. To date Novogen has had 73 patents granted and a further 225 patents are pending.
Novogen is the world leader in isoflavone research. From its original technology platform of natural isoflavones (represented in OTC products such as Promensil) the Company has developed a discovery program surrounding novel chemical entities based on a flavonoid scaffold. One of these compounds, phenoxodiol, is currently in Phase III clinical trialing for treatment of late stage ovarian cancer.
Further information on the Novogen Group can be found at http://www.novogen.com.
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