# Nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery for inflammatory Arthritis

> **NIH NIH P20** · UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND · 2021 · $174,389

## Abstract

Project Summary
Inflammatory Arthritis (IA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic erosive arthritis and
systemic lesions of multiple organs. The major types of IA include Gout, Psoriatic arthritis (PA), and
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). RA pathogenesis is based on complex mutual effects of genetic an acquired
defects of immune balance between regulatory and inflammatory responses1. Regulatory T cells (Treg)
and Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are typical immune-regulators, and defects or
malfunction of these cells contributes to the pathogenesis of RA. SH2-containing inositol-5'-phosphatase-
1 (SHIP1) is an enzyme with phosphatase activity, which controls PI3K initiated signaling. We found that
temporal inhibition of SHIP1 by 3-α-Aminocholestane (3AC) would suppress the initiation and
progression of experimental mouse arthritis (CIA), and the expansion and maintenance of regulatory
cells for an extended period of time would be required for the prevention of severe inflammatory
damages. Based on our preliminary studies, we hypothesize that temporal inhibition by NPs containing
SHIP1 inhibitor (3AC-NPs) not only expand cell number, but also enhance regulatory cell function. Also,
regional suppression of SHIP1 in inflammation sites through IA injection could relieve the arthritic
symptom in CIA mice. The primary objective of the current project through a collaboration with Rhode
Island College and Rhode Island Hospital is to develop a potential therapeutic strategy for arthritic
inflammation using SHIP1 inhibitor and Nanoparticles (NPs). Through this collaboration we aim to
generate 3AC-NPs and to examine the anti-inflammatory functions in RA mouse model as well as
train undergraduates in state-of-the-art methods of drug delivery and disease treatment. We expect
that that the administration of 3AC-NPs results in reduced inflammatory responses at synovial tissues.
Our long-term goal is to develop novel strategies for treatment of inflammatory diseases, as well as
prepare undergraduates students for careers in medicine, biomedical engineering, and pharmaceutical
industry.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10399300
- **Project number:** 3P20GM103430-21S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND
- **Principal Investigator:** Bongsup P Cho
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $174,389
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2001-09-30 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10399300

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10399300, Nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery for inflammatory Arthritis (3P20GM103430-21S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-14 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10399300. Licensed CC0.

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