A possible cure for degenerative arthritis A study by Professor Kim Dae-Won and his team (Biochemistry) on the survival mechanism of growth cartilage cells was published in Nature Cell Biology (pub. online February 18, 2007; printed March 2007, Vol. 9, No. 3). Growth chondrocytes (cartilage cells) begin work at the fetal development stage in building up normal bone tissue. Any damage to chondrocytes, therefore, may lead to skeletal dysplasia (abnormal cell growth) and result in serious bone deficiencies such as Dwarfism. Professor Kim and his team discovered that Nkx3.2, a protein uniquely found in growth chondrocytes can continuously activate a protein called NF-kappaB, promoting the formation of “anti-death” genes that keep growth chondrocytes alive. “This study will offer an important medical-scientific foundation for developing cures for bone diseases such as degenerative arthritis,” says Professor Kim. The study is also expected to provide answers to problems regarding skeletal growth in children and healing of fractured bones.