Novel arthritis treatment possible with new discovery

Around 52.5 million adults in the US have been diagnosed with some form of arthritis, and this number is expected to grow in coming years, emphasizing the need for new treatments. Now, a new study may have paved the way for just that, revealing how patients with arthritis could be treated using their own "microvesicles."

Microvesicles are tiny, fluid-filled particles – around 0.5–1 µm in diameter – that are released by cells in large numbers. While it is known these particles transfer lipids and proteins to other cell types, their role in disease remains unclear.

According to the research team – led by Prof. Mauro Perretti of the William Harvey Research Institute at Queen Mary, University of London in the UK – microvesicles released from some white blood cells, such as neutrophils, tend to accrue in the joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.