NIAMS organized a roundtable to engage stakeholders to discuss challenges, gaps, and opportunities regarding regenerative medicine approaches for cartilage preservation and restoration in knee OA and where and how NIAMS could play a role and move the field forward.

The recent observance in May of National Arthritis Awareness Month offered us a chance to reflect on a sizable component of the NIAMS mission area. Arthritis impacts the lives of nearly 60 million Americans. However, a recent conversation with David Wilson, Ph.D., director of NIH’s Tribal Health Research Office, reminded me that arthritis hits some communities harder than others.

NIBIB-funded researchers are developing an implantable, biodegradable film that helps to regenerate the native cartilage at the site of damage. Their study, performed in rabbits, could be an initial, important step in the establishment of a new treatment for this common condition, osteoarthritis.

Sometimes, your immune system makes mistakes. If it sees your body’s healthy cells as a threat, it may attack them. This can cause an autoimmune disorder.

HEAL-funded researcher Conor Walsh, Ph.D., and his team at the Harvard Biodesign Lab specialize in developing soft “exosuits” – wearable devices that help people with muscle weakness (for example, after a stroke) so they can regain movement and muscle strength.

Using artificial intelligence and MRI scans, researchers identified signs of osteoarthritis three years before diagnosis. The results suggest a way to identify people who may benefit from early interventions.