A researcher at the Keck School of Medicine of USC was awarded two grants totaling more than $4 million to support osteoarthritis research.
Dr. Denis Evseenko, an associate professor of orthopaedic surgery, stem cell and regenerative medicine at the Keck School, will use a $3.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to conduct research on the mechanisms behind the development, progression and prevention of osteoarthritis.
The $750,000 grant he received from the U.S. Department of Defense will fund pre-clinical research on novel drug candidates that may have the potential to regenerate cartilage and slow the progression of osteoarthritis.
“Osteoarthritis is a looming public health problem with few solutions on the horizon,” Evseenko said. “With these concurrent research efforts, we hope to translate our foundational knowledge about joint cartilage development into clinical therapies that would improve millions of lives.”
Osteoarthritis, caused by injuries and everyday wear and tear, is the most common joint disorder in the United States, and its prevalence is steadily growing due to longer life spans and increased obesity rates, according to the Keck School.
It is estimated that by 2032, nearly 30 percent of people age 45 and older will be diagnosed with the disease, for which there is no cure for osteoarthritis, though pain medication can help improve quality of life and some patients with severe cases may opt for joint replacement surgery, according to the medical school.
Evseenko hypothesizes that genetic and pharmacologic manipulation of the body’s glycoprotein 130, or gp130, receptor molecule could decrease the effects of arthritis by slowing cartilage degradation, or perhaps even building new cartilage. If his pre-clinical research data holds true, he hopes to launch clinical trials for an injectable therapy to delay the progression of arthritis among those in early stages of the disease.