Yale researchers found that the epilepsy medication lacosamide, when combined with a hydrogel to deliver low doses directly into the joint, can reverse cartilage damage and relieve pain in osteoarthritis. The drug targets Nav1.7 sodium channels, proteins that become overactive in diseased cartilage cells and drive both tissue breakdown and pain signaling. Blocking this specific protein at an optimal low dose prompted chondrocytes to stop degrading tissue and start producing protective signaling proteins like HSP70 and midkine.
Treating the structural root of osteoarthritis rather than just masking symptoms has long been the elusive goal for joint disease therapies. Because these results are currently limited to preclinical testing, it remains to be seen whether this local delivery method will translate safely and effectively to human joints over the long term.
more: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261006234528.htm
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