Scientists find a new way to acquire viable cells from cryopreserved tissue samples

The researchers aim to discover new, more effective ways to treat the inflammatory response that causes these chronic diseases by identifying the cell types and signals central to driving inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease that causes pain, stiffness, swelling, and limitation in the motion and function of multiple joints. Nobody knows exactly what causes Rheumatoid Arthritis; this is mainly due to imbalance in the immune system.

Modern medicines are very effective in treating this arthritis. They help in reducing the pain, joint swelling and also suppress the arthritis. Though joints are the principal body parts affected by rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation can develop in other organs as well.

In a recent research, a group of scientists have found a new and effective method to acquire viable cells from cryopreserved tissue samples, which could help researchers to collect and analyze samples from different study sites to conduct more centralized research.

The researchers aim to discover new, more effective ways to treat the inflammatory response that causes these chronic diseases by identifying the cell types and signals central to driving inflammation in RA patients. Before the program’s researchers could conduct the analysis required to identify new therapeutic strategies, they first needed a standardized method to gather viable cells from tissues samples gathered at different study sites in the network.

Talking about the study, Deepak Rao, MD, PhD, Co-Director of the Human Immunology Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and a lead author of the study, said, "Performing studies like these on a large scale requires the participation of many different institutions. A major challenge the investigators faced is how to analyze samples collected at different sites across the United States and United Kingdom in a uniform, reproducible way and still be able to use the specialized technologies that are only available at a few research institutions," reports Financial Express. The experts devised a method to freeze intact synovial tissue samples soon after acquisition so that they could be stored, transported and then analysed at a single technology site. The pipeline was designed to generate three detailed datasets on each synovial sample in a uniform way such that all of the samples could be compared. The researchers believe this new method to acquire viable cells from cryopreserved synovial tissue provides a powerful method to analyze joints samples from a large number of RA patients using multiple, robust, high-dimensional analyses. "When applied to large numbers of patients, these analyses have the potential to identify specific inflammatory pathways that define subsets of RA patients, which may eventually help guide treatment decisions," noted Rao.

Dr. Rao, concluded by saying, "We also hope that this approach of cryopreserving viable, intact tissue can be used as a model for centralized analysis of samples from multiple study sites in other rheumatic and inflammatory conditions." Arthiritis is a big problem in India. Over 180 million people suffer from arthritis in the nation. Increasing longevity of India’s population and rising obesity, caused by lack of physical exercise and sedentary lifestyle are the main reasons behind the rise in arthritic incidents. The cases of arthritis in women are increasing widely. Indian women have witnessed more cases of arthritis as compared to men. The research was presented at the 2017 American College of Rheumatology/AHRP Annual Meeting.