A promising new treatment was found to effectively treat the pain of arthritis – and to slow the progression of this debilitating condition. The Chinese National Academy of Sciences (CAS) says that researchers have developed a new material that can “precisely target damaged cartilage areas and provide lubrication protection.”

That’s good news for the more than 500 million people around the world who suffer from osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis. In the U.S., over 32 million people suffer from OA, says Medical News Today.

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Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease in which there is a breakdown of the cartilage and the cushion-like tissue within the spaces where joints meet, explains Medical Xpress. This results in a reduction of lubrication and an increase of friction that prevents easy movement in the joints and often causes pain.

Existing treatments, such as saline or corticosteroid injections, do not fully reduce friction or pain, and the injections need to be repeated every few months.

The new product developed by scientists at the CAS Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, along with other researchers, consists of hydrogel biospheres ─ tiny, hollow and round particles often used as injectables to repair injured cartilage, muscle and bone.

According to the Deccan Herald, the microspheres are composed of gelatin methacrylate, produced from a natural protein from collagen and a large polymer called PSBMA. The gelatin allows cells to mature and proliferate while the polymer increases hydration. The scientists added an antibody to improve the hydrogel that targets injured cartilage sites and makes it easier for the microspheres to do their job. The novel treatment appears to work more effectively than prior treatments, said the researchers.

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The new treatment also appears to be more precise than previous products. When injected into rats with early OA, the hydrogel significantly slowed disease progression and reduced symptoms, according to the study paper. This is important because OA is not reversible and early intervention can help prevent more wear and tear on the joints.

The hydrogel also reduced the friction between joints by half compared to normal saline infusion used to help with OA pain and prevented new joint damage in the rodents. The research is published in the journal Advanced Materials.

The Chinese discovery offers a “promising, convenient technique for treating osteoarthritis, particularly for slowing early-stage osteoarthritis progression,” wrote the authors, according to MSN.com.