You almost certainly do I know them: Someone who had to retire from football due to hip problems. The grandmother who can’t lift her arm to brush her hair because of the pain in her arms. A co-worker who had knee surgery. Often the cause is osteoarthritis, or wear and tear of the joints, which affects one in six people over the age of 30. There is no cure for osteoarthritis, and the only cure is implantation of a prosthesis or pain management.
There is reason for optimism, however, as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agency has committed millions of dollars to various initiatives aimed at finding a cure for the disease. That agency is the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), and the project to eliminate osteoarthritis is called NITRO, or Up-to-date Innovations for Tissue Regeneration in Osteoarthritis. The most advanced initiative in this field is being undertaken by a multidisciplinary team from the University of Colorado at Boulder, which received a $33.5 million grant from NITRO to develop an experimental therapy that can reverse joint damage within a few weeks with a uncomplicated injection.
Osteoarthritis is characterized by progressive wear and tear of cartilage, the tissue that cushions the contact between bones. Over time, this deterioration causes not only pain and inflammation, but also joint deformation and loss of mobility. It is the most common type of arthritis in the US and affects as many as 240 million people around the world.
“Right now, the option for many patients is either massive, expensive surgery or nothing. There’s not much in between,” Evalina Burger, professor and chair of the Department of Orthopedics at CU Anschutz, said via interview. statement. “That’s why ARPA-H is so important.”
Against this backdrop, a Colorado team led by biomedical engineer Stephanie Bryant is proposing a radically different approach: “Our goal is not just to treat pain and stop progression, but to end this disease.”
Joints that heal themselves
The breakthrough lies in using the body’s natural ability to regenerate itself. Instead of introducing artificial tissue or a prosthesis, scientists from Colorado have developed a system that “recruits” the body’s own cells to repair the damage.
One strategy involves a single injection that releases an already approved drug in a controlled manner, thanks to a particle system that acts as a carrier. This system allows diminutive doses to be administered over many months directly into the affected joint, stimulating repair processes.
The second strategy is intended for more advanced cases. It includes a set of biomaterials and proteins that can be used as part of minimally invasive procedures. Once inside the body, this material hardens and acts as a scaffold, attracting progenitor cells that fill and regenerate damaged areas of cartilage or bone.
The common feature of both approaches is that they strive to transform the diseased joint into an environment conducive to natural regeneration.
Rapid and positive progress
The results of animal studies were encouraging. The treated joints returned to a hearty state within four to eight weeks. Moreover, in the case of more stern injuries, researchers observed complete regeneration of the damaged tissue.
“In two years, we were able to go from having a novel idea, to developing these therapies, to showing that they reverse osteoarthritis in animals,” Bryant said. Additional experiments with human cells obtained from patients undergoing joint replacement also showed clear regenerative effects, suggesting that this approach could be applied to humans.
However, it should be emphasized that these results have not been confirmed in clinical trials. The researchers aim to publish their findings for the first time in an academic journal later this year. They also founded the startup Renovare Therapeutics to begin the commercialization process.
Once back in the lab, the next step would be to expand animal testing and analyze key aspects such as toxicity and safety. If all goes according to plan, human clinical trials could begin in about 18 months.
This story originally appeared on WIRED in Spanish and was translated from Spanish.