TREATMENT OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS WITH SOLUBLE FAS-LIGAND CROSS-LINKERS

摘要

The invention encompasses novel methods of treating rheumatoid arthritis and its symptoms and novel methods of identifying and screening for drugs useful in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and its clinical symptoms. Targeted manipulation of a computer model of a human rheumatic joint provided the surprising result that cross-linking soluble Fas-ligand (sFasL) has a significant impact on the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis. The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis may be alleviated by administering a sFasL-specific cross-linker.