Pill shown to treat gout may also benefit diabetics
POSTED March 30, 2010 - 12:26 | POSTED BY Kangna Agarwal
Last edited by Harpreet Bhagrath on March 30, 2010 - 12:55
Gout is caused by the presence of excessive uric acid in the bloodstream. It usually causes no harm but sometimes the condition may result in the buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints. These crystals can cause a gout attack.
The most common symptoms of a gout attack include a nighttime attack of swelling, tenderness, redness, and sharp pain in your big toe.
If you are overweight, drink too much alcohol and consume too much meat and fish, your chances of having a gout attack increases, according to WebMD.
Technique involves implanting capsule under skin
The revolutionary technique has been developed by Professor Martin Fussenegger of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.
The technique involves implanting a small plastic capsule under the skin, made from the genetically engineered human cells.
Fussenegger explained that the capsule helps in identifying an increase in the levels of uric acid.
When the levels of uric acid are too high in the bloodstream, the capsule responds by secreting an enzyme called urate oxydase, which destroys the uric acid.
In this way, the capsule helps maintain a balance in the body’s chemicals and hormones required for general well being.
"We have constructed a synthetic genetic circuitry that can detect uric acid in the bloodstream and process this information to produce a therapeutic response," the Independent quoted Fussenegger as saying.
Human trials to begin within two years
So far, the technique has been shown to be very effective in animal models in recently conducted lab experiments.
The next step is to test the efficacy of the procedure in humans. The researchers speculate that human trials of the pill could initiate within next two years.
They are hopeful that the plastic capsule loaded with genetically engineered human cells could offer potential treatments for a wide range of medical disorders causing hormonal imbalance such as diabetes and obesity and save millions of lives.
The new research appears in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
