Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that attacks a person’s own joints and surrounding tissue. The UIC inventors have identified ligands and receptors that are elevated in RA as targets for pharmacological treatments and clinical diagnostic assays.

siRNAare involved in the silencing of select genes, or RNA interference (RNAi).  There are issues with delivering the siRNA to the targeted sites in vivo, and once the delivery problem is resolved, the siRNA is also problematic in that the knock-down does not always occur or the efficiency of the knock-down is not as high as needed.  TNF-α or Tumor Necrosis Factor-α is a cytokine that is involved in systemic inflammation and the degradation of cartilage.  UIC investigators have designed a cationic peptide conjugated hydrogel as a vehicle to deliver a T

Below the knee muscle weakness, defined by weak dorsiflexor (shin) or plantarflexor (calf) muscle groups, can result from a variety of physical impairments or congenital abnormalities. Stroke, spinal cord injuries, polio and multiple sclerosis are among some of the physical injuries and congenital defects responsible for the condition. The largest complication from below the knee muscle weakness is abnormal gait, which when compensated for can lead to further complications in other muscles and joints.

Osteoarthritis is one of the oldest and most common types of arthritis.  When cartilage breaks down in the joints, it causes bones to rub against each other, resulting in serious pain and a severe loss of movement for the patient.  The biological cause of the condition is unknown, but the incidence of osteoarthritis increases with age.  Osteoarthritis is estimated to affect over 20 million Americans, with most of those sufferers over the age of 45.  Women are more likely than men to develop osteoarthritis after reaching the age of 50.  Currently, there is no preve

Cell therapy technologies and methods have already started to play an important role in the practice of medicine. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is replacing the old fashioned bone marrow transplants. Cell therapy technologies overlap with those of gene therapy, cancer vaccines, drug delivery, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The inventors have identified a way to use bone marrow derived endothelial progenitor cells for use in cell-based therapy ranging from reparative medicine to drug screening.

In the United States, 2.5 million orthopedic and plastic reconstructions, including bone, cartilage, tendon, ligament, and breast, are performed annually. Most bone repair procedures require a replacement structure to restore tissue function, including total substitutes (artificial joints), or tissue harvested from a second anatomic location of the same patient or from other patients and transplanted to the compromised area.