Osteoarthritis Pain Vaccine Successfully Tested in Mice

Osteoarthritis vaccine strategy blocked the effects of nerve growth factor (NGF)
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(Precision Vaccinations News)

Scientists have developed a vaccine strategy that blocks the effects of the main cause of pain in osteoarthritis (OA) - nerve growth factor (NGF) – in mice. 

These scientists said in a press release on March 11, 2019, that they validated a novel vaccine strategy to generate anti-NGF antibodies for reversal of pain behavior, in a surgical model of OA.   

This research is important because osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease in humans and its debilitating effects are estimated to cost up to 2.5 percent of the GDP of developed countries. 

And, osteoarthritis also represents a substantial social problem because fewer than 25 percent of patients currently have adequate pain control for their condition, and long-term use of painkillers is well known to pose significant health risks. 

This new pre-human study was a collaborative effort between the Jenner Institute and the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology at the University of Oxford, with colleagues in the University of Bern, and the Latvian Biomedical Research & Study Centre. 

Professor Tonia Vincent of Oxford University’s Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology said, ‘Whilst there are still safety issues that need to be considered before these types of approaches can be used in patients, we are reassured that this vaccine design allows us to control antibody levels and thus tailor treatment to individual cases according to need.’ 

Dr. Stephen Simpson, Director of Research at charity Versus Arthritis, which funded the research said “We know that for the 10m people with arthritis, persistent pain is life changing.” 

“Too many people living with pain do not get effective relief from the treatments that are currently available, and that is why the development of more effective pain killers, with fewer side-effects, is vital for people living with arthritis.” 

“Although at an early stage, this is highly innovative research and these results are very promising.” 

Since this was a mice-study, the availability of a commercial vaccine for humans is years away. 

The full paper, ‘Active immunization targeting Nerve Growth Factor attenuates chronic pain behavior in murine osteoarthritis,’ can be read in the Annals of Rheumatic Disease, a British Medical Journal.

 

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