Biotech giant Sanofi Genzyme has initiated a voluntary product recall for one lot ofSynvisc-One,a brand of hyaluronic acid. The lot, which was found to contain contamination, has been linked to an unexpected increase in side effects. In an urgent “product hold” letter, doctors, clinics and pharmacies who received syringes from that lot were instructed to immediately stop using the injections on patients until the company can investigate. Continue readingSynvisc-One Injections Recalled→
What if injured joints could heal themselves before they developosteoarthritis(OA)? Dr. James Martin’s current 3-year Arthritis Foundation-funded project, “Engineering Endogenous Cartilage Repair,” is trying to do just that- find ways to help joints heal before developing OA.
Dr. Martin and his team use special goats that have defects in areas of the thigh bones and cartilage, just above the knee. This closely mimics knee injuries that are seen in humans. The defects are surgically repaired with a hydrogel matrix that contains two important ingredients: repair cell attractant and growth factor. The repair cell attractant causes repair cells, called chondrogenic progenitor cells (CPCs), to migrate into the hydrogel. CPCs naturally occur in the cartilage. The growth factor, which is time-released over 10 days, causes the CPCs in the hydrogel to multiply and repair the injury with new cartilage. Continue readingResearchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. James Martin→
This story started with a dozen male research mice survivors from hurricane Sandy in 2012. The storm devastated Dr. Bruce Cronstein’s research lab, but born from the destruction was Dr. Cronstein’s 5-year Arthritis Foundation Investigator-funded project, “The Role of Adenosine Receptors in Osteoarthritis.”
If you haveosteoporosisyou’ve probably heard of, and may have been treated with, a class of drugs that are used to prevent and treat bone loss:bisphosphonates. Dr. Tuhina Neogi and her research team are using new methods to look at how the long-term effects of using these drugs may be related to the progression of kneeosteoarthritis(OA).
Dr. Neogi’s 2-year Arthritis Foundation-funded project, “Bisphosphonate Effects in Knee Osteoarthritis,” is looking at the relationship of bisphosphonate treatment and the structural changes in the knee associated with OA progression. To do this, Dr. Neogi and her team are looking at how knee joint space width, three-dimensional (3D) bone shape, and bone marrow lesions change in OA patients over time. Continue readingResearchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. Tuhina Neogi→
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved a new product to repair damaged knee cartilage using cells from the patient’s own knee. The product, called Matrix Associated Chondrocyte Implantation (MACI), is approved for use in people younger than age 55 who have what are known as “focal chondral defects,” which can be a precursor to kneeosteoarthritis(OA). Experts say, while MACI is not for use in people with knee OA, it does provide a new treatment option to prevent OA from developing in a particular group of patients. Continue readingFDA OKs First in a New Generation of Knee Cartilage Repair→
What do skin and cartilage have in common? It depends on who you ask. Dr. Veronique Lefebvre, a researcher at Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, is currently working on a 2016 foundation-funded project called “Quality-by-Design approach to create articular cartilage from pluripotency” that connects the dots between skin and cartilage. Dr. Lefebvre and her team are developing a protocol that starts with skin cells and ends with knee cartilage. Continue readingResearchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. Veronique Lefebvre→
Research on bacteria that live within our bodies has progressed in recent years and is gaining respect in the scientific community. Most of these bacteria live in our gut, and scientists think they shape our health in a number of ways – some good and some bad. Dr. Virginia Kraus is currently researching bacteria in her 2-year Arthritis Foundation-funded project, “The Role of Low-Grade Endotoxemia in Osteoarthritis.” Her project looks at one molecule made by harmful bacteria. Continue readingResearchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. Virginia Kraus→
The third part of our researcher spotlight series is with Dr. Markus Wimmer, Associate Chairman of the Department of Orthopedics and Director of Human Motion Analysis and Tribology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL. Dr. Wimmer is one of 11 researchers to receive funding in early 2016 for his innovative research project, which uses mobile technology to show how a non-invasive treatment can improve health outcomes for people with osteoarthritis (OA). Dr. Wimmer’s 2 year research project is called “Augmented Feedback Using Pressure Detecting Insoles to Reduce Knee Loading”. The purpose of his research is to look at the use of a pressure based insole to train the OA patient to walk in a way that will reduce pressure in the knees. Reducing knee joint pressure loads may help reduce pain and disease progression. Continue readingResearchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. Markus Wimmer→