New weapon in the fight against rheumatoid arthritis – Vancouver Sun
A chance conversation between two scientists in a cafeteria lineup sparked a discovery that could improve the lives of millions of people with rheumatoid arthritis.
When Walter Maksymowych and Aziz Ghahary started trading thoughts about parallels between the healing of wounds in burn patients and healing in joint destruction, it occurred to Maksymowych that a “sibling” of a protein in Ghahary’s research could play a role in rheumatoid arthritis.
Maksymowych is a professor of medicine specializing in rheumatology at the University of Alberta; Aziz Ghahary is now a professor in the University of B.C.’s Department of Surgery and director of the B.C. Firefighters Burn and Wound Healing Laboratory.
“Often at universities we are all working in silos, very focused on our own research,” Maksymowych said.
“It really is fortuitous that it was quite a long lineup for a sandwich. It really led to some remarkable work.”
When Maksymowych examined the joint fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, they soon found a unique and previously unexamined protein, one that occurs naturally and harmlessly inside of cells, but outside of cells triggers a cascade of autoimmune reactions, proteins and enzymes that attack joint tissue.
Fast forward 10 years and the discovery of the apparent role of protein 14-3-3 in rheumatoid arthritis has yielded a test that detects rheumatoid arthritis earlier and more reliably than ever, a test that is now in commercial production by the Vancouver-based biotech firm Augurex.
The blood-borne proteins and antibodies normally used to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis may be absent in about 33 to 40 per cent of patients.
Read the entire article in the The Vancouver Sun