Our osteoarthritis research highlights

Osteoarthritis research is so important because we are only just beginning to understand what causes osteoarthritis or why it progresses. That means we still don't have enough effective treatments for it. What works for one person might not work for someone else.

That’s why we’re committed to funding leading research into the causes, treatments and potential cures of osteoarthritis. Here are our research highlights in this area.

What drives the development of osteoarthritis?

That’s the big question being asked by the Centre for Osteoarthritis Pathogenesis Versus Arthritis.

They want to understand the how and why of osteoarthritis to help find new treatments, new tests to diagnose osteoarthritis, and develop personalised approaches to manage symptoms and reverse or prevent joint damage.

What have they found so far?

• The centre researchers, led by Professor Tonia Vincent, have developed a vaccine to treat osteoarthritic pain. More research is needed before the vaccine can be used in humans, but it has shown very promising results in mice.
• The centre researchers, led by Professor Francesco Dell'Accio and Dr Sue Eldridge, discovered a molecule called agrin, which could play a role in treating osteoarthritis. They found that agrin repairs cartilage and bone, as well as improving function of the joint. This has not yet been tested in humans but has shown very promising results so far in animals.
• Centre researchers, led by Professors Tonia Vincent and Fiona Watt, have identified a number of molecules that drive the repair of cartilage. This new knowledge may help the researchers to identify new treatments for osteoarthritis.

What’s next?

• The osteoarthritis vaccine development is being progressed.
• Research into the role of agrin is continuing at the research centre.
• The research team are also creating a national training resource for scientists and clinicians working within the osteoarthritis field.

Read more about the work of the Centre for Osteoarthritis Pathogenesis Versus Arthritis.

Can we predict osteoarthritis following a knee joint injury?

Knee osteoarthritis is the most common form of osteoarthritis. However, we still have much to understand about the causes. For example, why some people make a full recovery from an injury and others can go on to develop osteoarthritis.

Professor Fiona Watt’s team based at the Centre for Osteoarthritis Pathogenesis Versus Arthritis are leading research aiming to identify factors that can predict knee pain or painful osteoarthritis following injury.

Why is this research important?

An estimated 50% of people with a significant knee injury will develop painful osteoarthritis over 5-10 years, and many others will experience knee joint pain. However, we are currently unable to accurately predict why this is.

To learn more, the researchers will follow patients with knee injuries to review pain levels and structural knee changes using x-ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

What could this mean for future treatments?

The potential benefits of this research include:

• improving our ability to predict and test individual risk of osteoarthritis development and
• enabling the development of a test or predictive tool that allows prevention and early treatment of osteoarthritis.

Read more about this research led by Dr Fiona Watt.

How are we improving treatment options for people with osteoarthritis?

We’ve been funding several areas of research in the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) in Oswestry & Keele University to help improve treatments for people who may be oin the early stages of osteoarthritis.

The autologous chondrocyte implantation (or ACI) procedure has been used in research clinical trials led by Mr Peter Gallacher in the Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry, with research led by Professor Sally Roberts (Keele University).

ACI involves removing a sample of cartilage from the knee, allowing doctors to grow a fresh supply of a person’s own healthy cartilage cells in a laboratory setting.

Around three weeks later, these cells can then be put back into the damaged area (which can usually only be seen on an MRI scan).

Gradually, new cartilage starts to form in the treated area. Patients can expect to resume everyday use of the joint within three months, and full activities, including sports after 12 months.

Why is this research important?

Cell therapy to treat patients with small areas of cartilage damage in their knee joints has been used for over 20 years.

This research can help to improve existing knowledge and ensure that these types of treatments are developed to be as effective as possible.

How will the findings benefit patients?

The ACI treatment has been made available on the NHS. This means that more people across the UK can now access ACI and its benefits. However, it can only be offered to specific patients as set out by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) who gave approval to the treatment.

The team have also developed an app that patients and surgeons can use to help estimate if ACI may help a person avoid a knee replacement.

How to get involved in our research

We need research to help us find out more about what causes bone and joint problems. We will shortly be launching new and exciting opportunities to get involved in our research. For more information, or to find out how you can become involved, please email: patientinsight@versusarthritis.org

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