Pro-B1X: the creator of bone

Abstract

As we age, natural changes in bone and muscle occur. However, sometimes these changes can lead to diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoporosis. In the past 50 years there have been big improvements in the treatment of RA, leading to a large increase in life expectancy. However, new treatments are being developed at a slow pace and treatment strategies predominantly modify only minor features of the diseases and are not able to stop or reverse bone damage. Recently we have found a novel leukocyte transmigration peptide, agent X, which may have the ability to increase bone growth, leading to stronger, less breakable bones.
Additionally, in models of disease, preliminary data has suggested that agent X is able to restore bone growth and decrease bone damage. This data advocates that in both healthy and diseased bones, agent X may have a beneficial strengthening role, providing possible therapeutic potential in reducing fracture rates in the elderly and restoring bone growth during arthritis.