OSTEOARTHRITIS CURE IS NEAR!
ACURE for osteoarthritis, which causes painful, stiff joints, may be widely available in just five years!
The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis occurs when the cushioning cartilage inside joints begins to break down. It most frequently affects the hips, knees, fingers and feet and can be debilitating. At present, there is no cure and the only treatment options are pain medications or joint replacement.
But now a team of researchers is on the cusp of finding a way to help joints heal themselves. “Within five years, our goal is to develop a suite of noninvasive therapies that can end osteoarthritis,” says principal investigator Dr. Stephanie Bryant of the University of Colorado Boulder. “It could be an absolute game-changer for patients.”
Her team aims to bring several branches of research together for the first time for a treatment breakthrough. First, they developed a drug that induces cartilage and bone cells to produce the proteins necessary to rebuild themselves, but it must be injected daily.
They also created a 3-D gel-like biomaterial that “slides” into the cracks of torn cartilage or worn bone, providing a frame for the body’s own cells to migrate to. Meanwhile, Colorado State University scientists have been working to perfect gene therapies that can speed cartilage healing. To deliver all these technologies to the body together, the researchers are also developing nanoparticles that can be administered intravenously, serving as Trojan horses that carry the regenerative medication to the affected joints. So at the first sign of a creaky knee, a patient could get a single shot that would not only stop their cartilage and bone from eroding, but could also kickstart their regrowth. The goal is to develop a therapy available to all Americans, not just a privileged few, say the scientists. “This is one of the most debilitating diseases there is,” Bryant says of osteoarthritis, which affects more than 32.5 million Americans, a number that is expected to rise as the population ages and becomes more sedentary. “For us to have a chance to improve people’s lives — it’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” she adds.
The team expects to start human trials within three years.