Is a Cure for Osteoarthritis on the Horizon? New Therapies Show Promise
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New 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 University of Colorado Boulder who are developing new therapies for osteoarthritis, 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