Osteoarthritis. (Photo by: BERAUD/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Colorado researchers have developed a new injection that could help damaged joints repair themselves within weeks, offering hope for treating osteoarthritis.
Dig deeper:
A team of scientists and engineers from the University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Anschutz and Colorado State University developed new therapies.
The treatments include a single regenerative injection and a biomaterial repair kit designed to recruit the body’s own cells to repair damaged cartilage.
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The federal Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) announced this week that the team will move to the next phase of the project, which could receive up to $33.5 million in funding. The work is part of ARPA-H’s NITRO program, led by program manager Dr. Ross Uhrich.
What they're saying:
"In two years, we were able to go from a moonshot idea to developing these therapies to demonstrating that they reverse osteoarthritis in animals," principal investigator Stephanie Bryant, professor of chemical and biological engineering at CU Boulder, said in a news release. "Our goal is not just to treat pain and halt progression, but to end this disease."
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Big picture view:
Osteoarthritis is the third most common disease in the U.S., affecting about one in six people over age 30 worldwide. It breaks down cartilage—the tissue that cushions joints—causing bones to rub together. Over time, it can also damage bone, reshape joints and make movement painful.
Most patients have limited options: manage the pain or undergo joint replacement surgery. There is no cure. To change that, the Colorado team is pursuing two new approaches.
The first involves repurposing an existing FDA-approved drug using a patented particle delivery system that can be injected into a joint and release the drug in bursts over several months.
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Elderly zoo penguin with arthritis gets shoes to provide relief
Enrique is an elderly penguin at the St. Louis Zoo suffering from arthritis and now has new shoes to provide relief. (Credit: Kimberley Washington, Saint Louis Zoo)
For more severe damage, the researchers created a mix of engineered proteins that can be injected into cartilage or bone defects, where it hardens and encourages the body’s own cells to repair the tissue.
In animal studies, the injection restored damaged joints to a healthy state within four to eight weeks. The protein treatment also led to full repair of bone and cartilage defects, and early tests in human cells showed strong regenerative effects.
The work is part of ARPA-H’s NITRO program, which focuses on developing minimally invasive treatments to fully regenerate damaged joints. The Colorado team was awarded up to $33.5 million to advance the research, contingent on successful results.
What's next:
After completing phase one, the team is now moving into the next stage of the project.
Researchers plan to publish their animal study results in a peer-reviewed journal later this year and have launched a company, Renovare Therapeutics Inc., to help bring the treatments to market.
If progress continues as expected, clinical trials could begin within about 18 months.
The Source: The information in this story comes from a combination of researcher statements, institutional reporting and federal program updates. Details were provided by the University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Anschutz and Colorado State University research team. This story was reported from Los Angeles.