Micromotors Promising for Rheumatoid Arthritis Therapy

“It seems like an ideal approach for patients with monoarthritic conditions (where only one joint is involved),” he adds.

Dr. Goldberg also notes several concerns:

• Does this have to be injected into each affected joint separately? If so, that could be very cumbersome and uncomfortable for patients.
• RA often affects small joints, such as those in the fingers and toes. Injecting this into those small spaces might be difficult to do properly, even with ultrasound guidance. Will there be a novel injection technique that is developed with this to accommodate the smaller joints?
• How long does the effect of the micromotors last after the injections? How often will injections need to be repeated?

“Obviously, a big question is, ‘Can this work be replicated in humans?’ he says. “The next thing I would want to see is human trials.”

Reference

1. Xu C, Wang S, Wang H, et al. Magnesium-based micromotors as hydrogen generators for precise rheumatoid arthritis therapy. Nano Lett. 2021 Feb 24. Online ahead of print.