Suicide Molecules: Future Treatment for Tietze’s?

Steph Kenrose — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 11:55:46 +0000

If you’ve read my article, What is Tietze’s Syndrome?, then you’ll know that Tietze’s syndrome is an inflammation and swelling of the costal cartilage. It’s similar to rheumatoid arthritis (in fact, the now defunct drug Vioxx was used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and Tietze’s), which is why I was excited to read about a possible cure: a suicide molecule.

In this story posted on Northwestern University’s site, researchers fondly referred to the molecule as Casper the Ghost. The molecule floats in the bloodstream to the site of the inflammation and halts or reverses all of the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

Casper the Ghost cures Tietze's Syndrome

The lead researcher, Harris Perlman, discovered that when you have rheumatoid arthritis, you’re low in a molecule called Bim, which is responsible for telling viral cells to self destruct. Perlman developed BH3 mimetic, a replica of Bim, and injected it into mice. The therapy stopped rheumatoid arthritis in 75 percent of the mice.

Unfortunately, the cure may be a long way off. It relies on nanotechnology to deliver the drug precisely, then of course there’s the long FDA approval process. But at least there’s some hope for the thousands of Tietze’s Syndrom sufferers out there.

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Suicide Molecules: Future Treatment for Tietze’s?