Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease, which causes the immune system to attack the connective tissue of joints, causing inflammation and swelling. In advanced stages the disease can even lead to the destruction of the joint. This chronic disease is resistant to treatment with medication. The number of patients is 2 million people in the U.S. alone.

«Rheumatoid arthritis is accompanied by significant amounts of pain in the joints. This disease is well responsive to genetic therapy, as the joint - an isolated place, in which genes can be introduced», - says Christopher H. Evans of the Harvard Military Academy of Medicine in Boston, USA.

 
Studies show that the molecule interleukin-1 plays a major role in the development of arthritis. In the current study, researchers removed the affected tissue from the joint and implanted a safe virus, containing a gene that blocks the effects of the interleukin  protein. The cells were placed in laboratory conditions for growth and afterwards put back into the joint.

 
After the procedure, the patient’s pain level was decreased by 85% in one day, and after a week he didn’t feel any pain at all. The second patient, who had the same procedure, had the pain level reduced by 70% over two to three weeks.

According to Evans, the current treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is costly and doesn’t lead to a significant relief, therefore, genetic therapy may be an effective modern alternative.