Novel treatment targets in early-stage OA
Concept
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease and a major cause of musculo-skeletal pain in the middle-aged and elderly. However, there is currently no disease modifying treatment for OA.
Our research focuses on meniscal breakdown, one of the most common causes of OA. Our work shows that meniscus tears are most often part of a slowly developing degenerative disease, not usually the outcome of acute knee injury as previously considered. We further found that these early meniscus tears are strongly linked with the development of knee OA in the future. Detection and prevention of meniscal breakdown could therefore be a promising new target for early diagnosis and treatment of OA.
Facts and figures
M Englund
Lund University
Meet the team
Lund University
Lund University
Lund University
Lund University
Lund University
Lund University
Lund University
Lund University
University of Oulu
University of Oulu
University of Oulu
Erasmus MC Rotterdam
Objectives
We will characterize the early molecular and structural changes associated with meniscal breakdown and knee OA. By studying the me- niscus and synovial fluid from patients with torn menisci using mass spectrometry and novel micro CT imaging techniques, we will identify protein changes that accompany meniscus breakdown. We will further follow-up on a subset of these patients at risk for future OA, using ultra high-resolution 7-Tesla magnetic reso-nance imaging (MRI). This technique will enable us to visualize the earliest structural features associated with OA disease progression.
Combining our results from these two me- thods, we aim to pinpoint the molecular chan- ges in the meniscus that are associated with development of OA. This will help us identify new biomarkers for early diagnosis of OA, as well as discover new targets for pharmaceuti- cal intervention against meniscal breakdown and OA disease.
Patient voice
We have two patient research partners, who have visited Lund to meet our team and discuss our project. We have received their positive feedback on our initial work, and will continue working with them as our studies continue.
Publications
- Ultra-high field magnetic resonance imaging parameter mapping in the posterior horn of ex vivo human menisci. Olsson E, Folkesson E, Peterson P, Önnerfjord P, Tjörnstrand J, Hughes HV, Englund M*, Svensson J*. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2019 Mar;27(3):476-483. *shared senior authors
Read more - Differential protein expression in human knee articular cartilage and medial meniscus using two different proteomic methods: a pilot analysis. Folkesson E, Turkiewicz A, Englund M, Önnerfjord P. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2018 Nov 29;19(1):416. * shared senior authors
Read more
Abstracts EULAR 2019
- THU0415: Exploratory protein profiling of human synovial fluid from knee osteoarthritis
- FRI0509: 3D microstructure of intact and osteoarthritic human meniscus using micro-computed tomography