Chronic loss of joint cartilage, known as osteoarthritis, causes pain and bone loss every day for hundreds of millions of people.<\/p>\n
But a new treatment option is one step closer to human clinical trials \u2013 in the form of a simple, single injection.<\/p>\n
Based on ongoing animal experiments, the researchers have shown that injecting a carefully designed, time-release drug delivery system into a damaged joint can induce the body's own cartilage and bone cells to effectively repair the damaged joint in just a few weeks.<\/p>\n
According to a team of researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder, after a single injection, joints were restored to a healthy state within four to eight weeks.<\/p>\n
Initial laboratory tests on human cells taken from patients who had undergone joint replacement surgery also showed positive results, suggesting that the therapy could promote human tissue regeneration.<\/p>\n
It's important to note that the results are still awaiting expert review, so don't get too excited just yet.<\/p>\n
\u00ab"In two years, we've gone from an ambitious idea to developing these treatments and showing that they reverse osteoarthritis in animals," says Stephanie Bryant, a chemical engineer and biologist at the University of California, Boulder.<\/p>\n
Having completed the first phase of animal experiments, the team is ready to move on to the second phase. This phase will collect additional safety and toxicology data, laying the foundation for human clinical trials.<\/p>\n
\u00ab"Our goal," says Bryant, "is not just to treat pain and stop the progression of the disease, but to eradicate it.".<\/p>\n Currently, there is no cure for osteoarthritis: either pain relief or replacement of the joint with a metal or plastic prosthesis is necessary.<\/p>\n Research conducted here potentially points to a solution that mobilizes the body's own cells to repair damaged joints.<\/p>\n In addition to the drug delivery system, the team is developing an injectable "implant" that is inserted into the cartilage and attracts the body's cells to fill in cartilage defects. Ultimately, the goal is to offer various treatment options at different stages of the disease.<\/p>\n There are actually four stages of osteoarthritis, ranging from early and minor cartilage loss to complete absence of cartilage and severe pain where the bones meet \u2013 this is where stiffness, swelling, and inflammation reach their peak.<\/p>\n \u00ab"Right now, many patients are faced with the choice of either complex and expensive surgery or no treatment at all," says Evalina Burger, an orthopedic surgeon and professor at the University of California, Anschutz.<\/p>\n \u00ab"There's not much in between the extremes.".<\/p>\n Given the prevalence of osteoarthritis, its painful nature and significant limitations in mobility and daily life, numerous studies are currently being conducted to find treatment options.<\/p>\n The amount of cartilage in our joints naturally decreases over time, but regular exercise is one way to prevent this. Stronger muscles reduce stress on joints, and movement promotes the movement of nutrient-rich fluids within them.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, researchers at Stanford University were able to identify a specific protein responsible for the loss of cartilage that occurs with age\u2014and reducing levels of this protein may help protect joints in old age.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, semaglutide \u2013 the active ingredient in drugs such as Ozempic and Vegovi \u2013 has also shown promise in the treatment of osteoarthritis, as it stimulates cellular metabolism and helps maintain healthy cartilage.<\/p>\n It will take some time to develop real treatments, but these studies are encouraging.<\/p>\n The team that developed the injectable treatment hopes that clinical trials can begin within the next 18 months, but this depends on the results of the next phase of animal experiments.<\/p>\n See also: Drugs like Ozempic may increase the risk of bone and joint diseases.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00ab"We've shown in studies that the drug can reverse osteoarthritis," Bryant said in a recent video.<\/p>\n \u00abSo we hope that one injection will really allow patients to restore their joints and return to a healthy life.\u00bb.<\/p>\n The research is funded by the Novel Innovations in Tissue Regeneration in Osteoarthritis (NITRO) program, an initiative of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.<\/p>\n This article was fact-checked by Rachel Garner and edited by Claire Watson. While we pride ourselves on our process, we're only human. If you spot an error, please let us know.<\/p>\n ScienceAlert articles are written, fact-checked, and edited by humans; they are never generated by artificial intelligence. Don't miss a single article; subscribe here.<\/p>\n The impact of tattoos on the immune system is at a level that scientists are only beginning to study.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n A mysterious global "hum" has plagued people for 50 years \u2013 scientists may have found its cause.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n It appears that after menopause, the ovaries begin to play an incredibly important secondary role.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Chronic loss of articular cartilage, known as osteoarthritis, causes pain and bone loss daily in hundreds of millions of people. But a new treatment option is one step closer\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19656,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","hvn-theme-has-thumbnail"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19655"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":161320,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19655\/revisions\/161320"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} Related news<\/h3>\n
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