Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder, CU Anschutz, and Colorado State University have developed a series of experimental treatments that may help naturally repair aging and damaged joints in a matter of weeks. This treatment has shown promising results in animal studies, reversing the signs of osteoarthritis and restoring joint health.
New approaches include regenerative injections designed to be administered directly into the joint and biomaterial-based repair systems that encourage the body’s own cells to rebuild damaged cartilage.
The research recently received a major boost from the federal Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), which announced the team would move on to the next stage of the project, worth up to $33.5 million. This research is part of the ARPA-H Novel Innovations for Tissue Regeneration in Osteoarthritis (NITRO) program, led by ARPA-H Program Manager Ross Urich, Ph.D.
“In two years, we were able to take the moonshot idea and develop these treatments and demonstrate that they reverse osteoarthritis in animals,” said lead researcher Stephanie Bryant, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at UW Boulder. “Our goal is to end this disease, not just treat the pain and stop its progression.”
A new approach to osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is the third most common disease in the United States and affects approximately one in six people over the age of 30 worldwide. In this condition, cartilage, the cushioning tissue that prevents bones from rubbing against each other, is gradually destroyed. As the disease progresses, bones may become damaged, joint structures may change, and daily activities may become more painful.
Current treatment options are limited. Most patients manage their symptoms with pain relief or eventually undergo joint replacement surgery. There is currently no cure for this disease.
Colorado researchers are pursuing two different strategies aimed at changing that reality.
Some treatments repurpose existing drugs that have already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Bryant and her colleagues have developed a patented particle delivery system that can be injected into a joint, releasing the drug periodically over several months.
For patients with more extensive cartilage and bone damage, the team developed another treatment consisting of engineered proteins. Delivered arthroscopically, this material hardens in place and attracts the body’s own progenitor cells to repair the damaged area.
Rapid joint repair in animal studies
When researchers tested the injectable treatment in animals with osteoarthritis and joint damage, the affected joints returned to a healthy state within four to eight weeks.
The repair materials also gave amazing results. Filling in the cartilage and bone defects resulted in “complete regeneration and repair of the defect,” Bryant said.
The treatment also showed regenerative effects in human cells obtained from patients who underwent joint replacement surgery.
NITRO is the first program launched by ARPA-H and was established to develop “minimally invasive treatments for the complete regeneration of damaged joints.” Two years ago, the program awarded Colorado teams up to $33.5 million to meet that goal, contingent on good results.
With Phase 1 successfully completed, researchers are now moving on to Phase 2.
“It’s very exciting to be part of ARPA-H’s first program and to be one of the first teams to advance to the second phase,” Bryant said.
Looking ahead to human experiments
Dr. Evalina Berger, professor and head of orthopedic surgery at Anschutz University, said osteoarthritis affects people from all walks of life. She has seen the disease affect grandparents who struggle with simple daily activities because of shoulder pain, and athletes who are forced to give up running, hockey, and other activities because of knee or hip problems.
“Right now, the choice for many patients is to undergo expensive, extensive surgery or do nothing. There’s not much in between,” said Professor Berger, who has been following the team’s research with interest. “That’s why ARPA-H is so important.”
Berger and Bryant envision a future where people with early-stage osteoarthritis can receive an affordable, one-time treatment that will keep their joints healthy for years. Patients with localized cartilage or bone damage may recover quickly with damaged tissue repaired in one visit.
The researchers plan to publish the results of their animal study in a peer-reviewed journal later this year. They also started a company called Renovare Therapeutics Inc. to help move this technology into commercial use.
If further studies continue to show positive results, Bryant believes clinical trials could begin within as little as 18 months.
“This could be a real game changer for patients,” Bryant said.
