\n<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Unlike existing treatments for osteoarthritis<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Human trials are expected to begin within the next year, marking a potential turning point in osteoarthritis care.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Osteoarthritis occurs when joint tissue is damaged due to aging, obesity<\/a>, injury, or overuse. It can also be associated with congenital defects<\/a> or a family history of the disease.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The NITRO program focuses on helping joints heal themselves through three key approaches: regenerating bone, regenerating cartilage, and developing living knee implants made from human tissue. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Duke University has developed two injectable, time-released combination drug formulations that stimulate bone and cartilage regrowth in OA-damaged joints. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n These injectable therapies can be used alone or together and are designed for infrequent administration \u2014 only once per year \u2014 to relieve pain and restore joint function. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The researchers created an intravenous time-release formulation to promote cartilage repair across multiple joints, reducing the need for multiple injections.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The University of Colorado Boulder has contributed two therapies that enable aging or damaged joints to repair themselves rapidly in animal studies. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n One is a patented particle-delivery system injected into joints to deliver intermittent bursts of a repurposed regenerative drug over several months. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The other is an engineered protein cocktail injected arthroscopically and allowed to harden in place for precise repair of cartilage lesions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Columbia University has engineered a living, 3D-printed human knee on a biodegradable scaffold infused with adult stem cells<\/a>, either from the patient\u2019s body or from a donor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As the scaffold degrades, the stem cells regenerate natural cartilage and bone, creating a fully load-bearing, non-immunogenic implant that integrates with the body without any need for hardware. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Because it is designed to mirror current artificial joint structures, this innovation allows surgeons to use familiar techniques, which they hope will encourage more physicians to adopt this technique. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The NITRO program is further designed to ensure accessibility, with treatments priced affordably for all Americans regardless of their insurance status. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Additionally, clinical trials will include diverse populations most affected by OA, including women and Native American communities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n Ryan Peterson, MD, a physician with NuView Treatment Center<\/a>, told Healthline that treating osteoarthritis is currently more about \u201cmanaging decline\u201d rather than truly healing the condition. Peterson wasn\u2019t involved in the new treatment initiative.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Some may also try treatments such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP), he said, but the results are inconsistent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Osteoarthritis can be difficult to treat, he added, because it\u2019s a complex condition involving cartilage, bone, inflammation<\/a>, and the mechanics of the joint.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cCartilage also has very limited ability to heal, so once damage progresses, we don\u2019t have great ways to reverse it,\u201d said Peterson. \u201cOn top of that, pain doesn\u2019t always match imaging, which makes treatment response unpredictable.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n