It took my savings and 14 years – but I'm about to cure arthritis

This is the only publication I found in a quick search:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37976118/

>> Abstract

Objectives: Nerve growth factor β (β-NGF) is a protein which is important to the development of neurons particularly those involved in the transmission of pain and is central to the experience of pain in osteoarthritis (OA). Direct NGF antagonism has been shown to reduce OA pain but is associated with rapidly progressive OA. The aim of the study is to investigate the ability of soluble neurotrophin receptors in the NGF pathway to modulate pain in OA.

Methods: Synovial fluid (SF) was obtained from the knee joints of 43 subjects who underwent total knee arthroplasty. Visual analogue scale (VAS) pain scores were obtained prior to surgery. Customised-automated-ELISAs and commercial-ELISAs and LEGENDplex™ were used to measure soluble low-affinity nerve growth factor (LNGFR), soluble tropomyosin receptor kinase (TrkA), proNGF, β-NGF, other neurotrophins (NT) and cytokines including inflammatory marker TNF-α.

Results: The VAS score positively correlated with β-NGF (r=0.34) and there was positive association trend with neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), BDNF and negative association trend with ProNGF. sLNGFR positively correlated with VAS (r=0.33). The β-NGF/soluble TrkA ratio showed a strong positive correlation with VAS (r=0.80). In contrast, there was no correlation between pain and the β-NGF/sLNGFR ratio (r=-0.08). TNF-α positively correlated with β-NGF (r=0.83), NT-3 (r=0.66), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) (r=0.50) and negatively with ProNGF (r= -0.74) and positively correlated with both soluble TrkA (r=0.62), sLNGFR (r=0.26).

Conclusions: This study suggests that endogenous or cleaved sLNGFR, but not soluble TrkA may participate in OA pain modulation thus supporting further research into soluble LNGFR as a therapeutic target in OA.

So, it restores lost tissue by numbing nerves? This makes no sense.

Wonder if it's just poor reporting or if there is something to this?

On leaving the company, he acquired the intellectual property [IP] rights from his former employer

A lot of people don't do this when they leave or are terminated. It doesn't usually succeed, but it's always worth at least making the attempt. (In this case, Pfizer gave him the IP rights to the molecule he discovered in exchange for a portion of his company.)

Now I'm at a point I would only be fine with saying this if I didn't have any issues after a prolonged interval.

(Not sure if I have arthritis but really sore hips and lower back.)

I had read that fatty fishes were a good source to reduce pain but in your experience, is there any other food/lifestyle changes that can help alleviate it before resorting to medication?

Thinks can go wrong in Phase III.

Relyvrio (HIV vaccine) did well in P2 but flopped on P3.

Cancer drug xevinapant failed in P3 after Merck executives were reassuring analysts that the failure of a phase 3 trial of xevinapant was “unlikely.”

My rheumatologist wanted to put me on methotrexate but I declined out of fear if the side effects. He never mentioned anything about diet, but clearly a dietary intervention worked for me.

This looks more promising: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ1CLtc8oIk

Many times, I met people who genuinely believed they were super close and about to achieve a "huge" breakthrough.

In each case, the scientists themselves, in their minds, were absolutely convinced they were on the brink of unfathomable achievements: curing Alzheimers, or some cancers etc.

Particularly true for the scientists in biomedical startups - they were like Mulder from X-Files; they all wanted (and were desperately eager) to believe. Like Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos, I think she completely believed her own exaggerations and BS - at some point, fact and fiction merge.

Thus I've become extraordinarily skeptical of articles like these.

More like Pfizer invested in an employee's startup.

> The drug is based on a molecule he discovered while working at Pfizer

tells me that he'd better have good lawyers on speed-dial.

https://archive.ph/Cwtq3

> It works by blocking a compound that supports the nerve cells involved in transmitting pain signals to the brain.

Unfortunately it doesn't fix the underlying issue.

I can see Pfizer lawyers salivating uncontrollably after reading that phrase. Extremely unwise of him to mention this.

Is Pharma different than Engineering in terms of IP?

If my former employer has evidence that what I am working on in a new gig was discovered while on company time using company resources couldn't they sue?