Getting specific with RA

Two new therapeutic targets for rheumatoid arthritis may have potential as disease-modifying agents. One approach, being taken by MaimoniDex RA Ltd., is to target a specific isoform of CD44, which may be responsible for the passage of proinflammatory molecules into arthritic joints. Separately, researchers at NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) may improve on anti-TNF strategies by targeting more specifically the action of tumor necrosis factor alpha.

MaimoniDex's antibody targets a specific variant of CD44, dubbed CD44vRA. The company recently partnered with Abmaxis Inc., which will make a humanized version of the antibody...