It matches naturally occurring synovial fluid for starters and has a
minimal two week dwell time in the joint itself against two days for
present solutions. This begins to be practical for sufferers to use
regularly.
I have watched this problem go from no therapy and by that I exclude
pain killers, to the condriton assist and now to an injectable
replacement therapy. Non of it naturally replaces damage but that is
coming along also.
A human being requires the full use of his joints to avoid general
deterioration and this work is important. Ultimately a complete
solution is shaping up and becoming plausible.
Natural
polysaccharides (left) contain sugars linked by an ether, in contrast
to the new polysaccharides that contain sugars linked by an amide
(middle). The researchers are using a 3D computer model of the
amide-linked polysaccharide (right) to understand how the new linkage
affects the structure, and therefore the properties, of the new
polysaccharide. (Credit: Eric L. Dane)
May 2, 2013— A team
of researchers led by a Boston University Biomedical Engineer has
developed a new joint lubricant that could bring longer lasting
relief to millions of osteoarthritis sufferers. The new synthetic
polymer supplements synovial fluid, the natural lubricant in joints,
and works better than comparable treatments currently available.
According to Professor
Mark W. Grinstaff (BME, MSE, Chemistry), the best fluid supplement
now available offers temporary symptom relief but provides inadequate
lubrication to prevent further degradation of the cartilage surfaces
that cushion the joint. To achieve both objectives, Grinstaff, Beth
Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School orthopedic
surgeon Brian Snyder and a team of Boston University chemistry and
engineering students, fellows and clinicians have advanced the first
synthetic synovial fluid. They describe the unique polymer and
its performance in Journal of the American Chemical Society.
The most common form
of joint disease and a leading cause of disability in the elderly,
osteoarthritis (OA) affects about 27 million Americans and 200
million people worldwide. Characterized by pain and swelling, the
disease emerges in hand, hip, knee and other commonly used joints
where degradation of cartilage and synovial fluid results in
bone-on-bone abrasion. Treatments range from anti-inflammatory drugs
to total joint replacement. While there's no cure for OA, one
treatment -- injection of a polymer to supplement synovial fluid in
the joint -- promises to relieve symptoms and slow the disease's
progression by reducing wear on cartilage surfaces.
"From our
studies, we know our biopolymer is a superior lubricant in the
joint, much better than the leading synovial fluid supplement, and
similar to healthy synovial fluid," said Grinstaff. "When
we used this new polymer, the friction between the two cartilage
surfaces was lower, resulting in less wear and surface-to-surface
interaction. It's like oil for the joints."
Originally produced
last year for another study, the new polymer mimics some of the
properties of natural polysaccharides, large compounds that link
repetitive sequences of sugar molecules in a chainlike pattern.
"You put it
between your fingers, and it's slippery," Grinstaff observed.
"Once we made it, we wondered if we could use it as a lubricant
and where it would be useful. That's how we thought of using it as a
potential treatment for OA."
Another advantage
of the biopolymer is its large molecular weight or size, which
prevents it from seeping out of the joint, enabling longer lasting
cartilage protection. Unlike the leading synovial fluid
supplement, which lasts one or two days, the new polymer remains in
the joint for more than two weeks.
The research is
supported by the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation and Flex Biomedical, a
startup cofounded by Grinstaff and Snyder.
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