The Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP) is the National Institute of Health’s initiative to identify and validate “the most promising biological targets for therapeutics,” including rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, schizophrenia, and type 2 diabetes. For RA, they specifically are researching the cells themselves, the synovium (the tissue that lines joints) specifically, and the chemical pathways that are associated with joint health. Their most notable partners are Pfizer (producer of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, 2020 revenue $42 B), Merck & Co (producer of Singulair for asthma, 2020 revenue $48 B), Abbvie (producer of Humira, common RA medicine, 2020 revenue $48 B), and Janssen (producer of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 2020 revenue $82 B). As a result, it is crucial to be able to know what lupus is, why its cause is still unknown, and what further research is needed in this field.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or generally called lupus due to its prevalence) is the most common type of lupus, an autoimmune disease whose symptoms include painful and swollen joints, ulcers, swollen lymph nodes, and tiredness. The cause of SLE is unknown and a cure is not readily available. As a result, it has become an international effort to explain how we can treat lupus.
During SLE, B cells become hyperactive, increasing antibody production and inflammatory symptoms. It is thought that SLE develops when a T-lymphocyte is introduced to an antigen-presenting cell which leads to B-cell stimulation. While this is a normal occurrence, it is essential for more research to know why it becomes overactive and why it starts, such as genetic or environmental reasons.
Other major diseases in orthopedics include Sjogren’s syndrome, adult-onset scleroderma, spondyloarthritis (SpA), ankylosing spondyloarthritis (AS), psoriatic Arthritis (PsA), fibromyalgia, and gout.
For more information, please visit the Arthritis Foundation’s report.
