Researchers develop a smart biological substance that can revolutionize the treatment of arthritis

A research team from the University of Cambridge, the British University, has revealed the development of a new substance that can revolutionize arthritis treatment, which works like ‘artificial cartilage’ that can occur in the body, such as those that occur during severe inflammatory seizures, and then require medication in the exact location and time. According to the study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the flexible gel material can be loaded with anti -inflammatory drugs that respond to minor changes in the pH in the body. During a joint seizure, the joint becomes more than the surrounding tissues, and here the structure of the material changes to become softer and similar to gel, leading to the release of the medicine stored inside. The material does not respond, except in a very narrow extent of acidity, which means that the drug is released only within the affected joint and at the time of inflammation, which can significantly reduce the side effects associated with traditional treatments. If this substance is used as an artificial cartilage in the joint, it can enable continuous treatment and self -response to arthritis, increasing the effectiveness of medication and relieving in the long running pain and infection. Unprecedented numbers in joint diseases in 2021 have recorded unprecedented numbers related to joint diseases, as more than 606 million people suffered from bone separation, while more than 18 million people have suffered rheumatoid arthritis. This noticeable increase since 1990 clearly reflects the impact of demographic changes, of which the population growth and age is, so that arthritis has become one of the most important causes of disability in the world, especially among the elderly whose daily lives are directly affected. The substances can “feel” in the presence of an imbalance in the body and respond immediately by launching the treatment in the right place, which can reduce the need to repeat the doses of medicine and improve the lives of patients. The first author of the study “Stephen O’Neil” also reveals the figures of the size of the challenge facing health systems. According to the study of ‘the global burden of the disease’ for the year 2021, the rate of normative age distribution was 6967 cases per 100,000 people, an increase of 9% compared to 1990. The future image seems no less disturbing, as researchers expect the number of cases to be by 2050 due to age and the increase in population. But these burdens are not evenly distributed between countries and regions. In 2021, the Asia -Pacific region with high revenue recorded the highest distributed rates with 8608.6 cases per 100 thousand people, followed by North America with high income at an average of 8421.6 cases per 100 thousand people. At the opposite point were the lowest rates in Southeast Asia (5675,8 cases) and Africa under -Sahara (5830 cases), reflecting the effect of geographical, social and economic factors in the spread of the disease. The analysis published in 2023 revealed that the knee represents the most vulnerable terrain for the global separation, at a rate of 4307.4 cases per 100,000 people, followed by the joints of the hand that recorded 2226.1 cases, and then the hip at a much lower rate of 4177 cases. This difference is related to the ongoing use of joints, excess weight and mechanical changes in the body with age. As for rheumatoid arthritis, a self -immune disease that differs from osteochism, it again affects millions of people around the world. In 2019, the World Health Organization estimates the number of people with about 18 million people. It is known that women are specifically more likely to develop a rate of two to three times compared to men, while the disease often occurs between the ages of 40 and 70 years. What increases its severity is that about 13 million patients around the world suffer from severe to severe symptoms that need rehabilitation to alleviate the impact of disability on their lives. Several factors impede in raising the global burden of joint diseases, and aging still remains the clearest factor, but obesity also plays an important role as the body mass index increased in more than 20% of the osteo’s recorded in 2020, between 48% and 95%. As for rheumatoid arthritis, experts expect the number of patients to double by 2030 due to aging. The material was developed in the Professor “Oren Sherman” research group in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge, and it relies on a network of polymers connected to the opposite links, that is, according to the surrounding circumstances, especially the pH, form and disintegrate. If arthritis occurs, the acidity rises slightly, so that these bonds are partially disintegration, which makes the material softer and gelatinous, so that it opens the internal structure and releases the medicines stored in it. In natural conditions, the material remains relatively coherent and solid, similar to cartilage in its elasticity and function, and at the same time it works as a smart tank that only liberates the drug if necessary, giving it a double role that accurately combines the support of the joint and the delivery of the treatment. Sherman said: “We always thought about using these substances in the joints because their properties look like natural cartilage, but it is very exciting to combine it with an accurate medicine delivery,” Sherman said. The first author of the study “Stephen O’Neil” indicated that these substances can “feel” the existence of an imbalance and can respond immediately by starting the treatment in the right place, which can reduce the need to repeat the doses of medicine and improve patients of patients. In laboratory experiments, the substance wore a fluorescent dye to test its behavior in place of the medicine, and on the acid levels associated with inflamed joints, the substance launched a much greater amount than the “medicine” compared to the normal levels. The author who participated in the research “Jayed McChyun” said that by changing the chemistry of these gels, we can make them very sensitive to the smallest changes in acidity in the inflamed tissues, and that means the drug is released only if the body really needs it. “The research team emphasized that this strategy can be adapted to treat other diseases such as cancer, through rapid working and sluggish working medicines in one substance, which enables the treatment that lasts days, weeks or even months. to treat accuracy and higher efficiency.