on PinterestNew therapies for osteoarthritis could help joints heal and regenerate, rather than just treat symptoms.
on PinterestNew therapies for osteoarthritis could help joints heal and regenerate, rather than just treat symptoms. Luis Velasco/Stocksy
- A government agency says that several promising osteoarthritis treatments are in development.
- The new therapies aim to help joints heal rather than simply treating symptoms.
- Treatment methods include bone and cartilage regeneration and living knee implants, signaling a breakthrough for those who live with osteoarthritis.
- More research on the new therapies is still needed to verify safety and effectiveness in humans.
Osteoarthritis most often affects older adults and leads to varying degrees of pain and disability. As the most common form of arthritis, it is also notoriously difficult to treat.
A new initiative led by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) is poised to revolutionize the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA), a debilitating joint disease affecting an estimated 32 million Americans annually and costing over $132 billion.
The program, Novel Innovations for Tissue Regeneration in Osteoarthritis (NITRO), is a collaboration with researchers from Duke University, Columbia University, and the which currently has no cure.
Unlike existing treatments for osteoarthritis, which are primarily aimed at relieving pain or replacing already damaged joints with artificial ones, the research program seeks to enable joints to heal themselves by regenerating bone and cartilage.
This breakthrough could transform the lives of millions who live with osteoarthritis by restoring natural joint function and eliminating the need for joint replacement surgeries.
Human trials are expected to begin within the next year, marking a potential turning point in osteoarthritis care.
New osteoarthritis therapies may restore joint health
Osteoarthritis occurs when joint tissue is damaged due to aging, obesity, injury, or overuse. It can also be associated with congenital defects or a family history of the disease.
According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, osteoarthritis can cause joint pain and stiffness, commonly in the hands, knees, hips, neck, and lower back.
The NITRO program focuses on helping joints heal themselves through three key approaches: regenerating bone, regenerating cartilage, and developing living knee implants made from human tissue.
Duke University has developed two injectable, time-released combination drug formulations that stimulate bone and cartilage regrowth in OA-damaged joints.
These injectable therapies can be used alone or together and are designed for infrequent administration — only once per year — to relieve pain and restore joint function.
The researchers created an intravenous time-release formulation to promote cartilage repair across multiple joints, reducing the need for multiple injections.
The 3D-printed human knee on a biodegradable scaffold infused with adult stem cells, either from the patient’s body or from a donor.
As the scaffold degrades, the stem cells regenerate natural cartilage and bone, creating a fully load-bearing, non-immunogenic implant that integrates with the body without any need for hardware.
Because it is designed to mirror current artificial joint structures, this innovation allows surgeons to use familiar techniques, which they hope will encourage more physicians to adopt this technique.
The NITRO program is further designed to ensure accessibility, with treatments priced affordably for all Americans regardless of their insurance status.
Additionally, clinical trials will include diverse populations
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