{"id":58015,"date":"2025-04-28T17:27:08","date_gmt":"2025-04-28T17:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/58015\/"},"modified":"2025-04-28T17:27:08","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T17:27:08","slug":"largest-osteoarthritis-genetic-study-uncovers-pathways-to-new-therapies-and-repurposed-drugs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/58015\/","title":{"rendered":"Largest Osteoarthritis Genetic Study Uncovers Pathways to New Therapies and Repurposed Drugs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBYLINE:<\/strong> Nancy Difiore\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Researchers have uncovered multiple new genes and genetic pathways that could lead to repurposing hundreds of existing drugs for osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis.<\/p>\n

The research, which analyzed data from nearly 2 million people in diverse populations worldwide, was recently published in\u00a0Nature<\/a>. It represents an extensive genetic exploration of osteoarthritis, a condition affecting over 600 million people globally.<\/p>\n

Conducted by an international team led by Helmholtz Munich in collaboration with Rush University Medical Center and 125 top academic institutions worldwide, this initiative is the largest genetic investigation into osteoarthritis conducted and the largest musculoskeletal study.<\/p>\n

The study uncovered 962 genetic variants associated with the disease and spotlighted 69 key genes whose protein products are already targeted by 473 approved drugs \u2014 many of which could be redirected to manage osteoarthritis more effectively. This discovery leads to a fast-track to personalized medicine and innovative clinical trials.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis study takes a leap forward in offering tailored therapies for osteoarthritis patients, many of whom have long awaited disease-modifying options,\u201d said\u00a0Dino Samartzis<\/a>, DSc, co-author, professor and director of the international spine research and innovation initiative of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Rush.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis research is a beacon of hope. By leveraging human genetics, we can now reimagine much more effectively as to how we treat this widespread condition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Osteoarthritis results from the gradual breakdown of cartilage in the joints.<\/p>\n

It differs from rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disorder, and is a leading cause of pain, reduced mobility and disability \u2014 projected to affect 1 billion people by 2050. It costs the United States nearly $486 billion annually and up to \u20ac817 billion in Europe.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs orthopedic specialists, we see firsthand how osteoarthritis affects quality of life,\u201d said\u00a0Brian Cole<\/a>, MD, professor of orthopedics at Rush. \u201cThis study takes us closer to developing targeted biologics that not only alleviate symptoms but also slow disease progression and, ideally, restore joint health.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith 10% of our genetic targets already linked to existing drugs, we\u2019re poised to accelerate the development of transformative treatments for osteoarthritis,\u201d said Eleftheria Zeggini, BSc, co-author and director of the Institute of Translational Genomics at Helmholtz Munich and professor of translational genomics at the Technical University of Munich. \u201cThis is precision medicine at work \u2014 offering new hope to millions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Traditionally, osteoarthritis has been managed with pain relievers and mobility aids, but no disease-modifying therapies exist to date. This study not only redefines our genetic understanding of the disease but also provides a path toward repurposing safe, approved drugs, potentially slashing the time and cost to bring effective treatments to market.<\/p>\n

The team stresses the need for more genetically diverse studies and functional genomics data from global populations to further refine their findings. By integrating genetics with tissue-level molecular insights, the pathway to new, effective and personalized treatments for osteoarthritis becomes increasingly attainable.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is one of the finest examples of impactful team science,\u201d Samartzis said. \u201cResearchers and clinicians from across the globe united with a singular goal \u2014 to change the trajectory of osteoarthritis care for generations to come.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BYLINE: Nancy Difiore Researchers have uncovered multiple new genes and genetic pathways that could lead to repurposing hundreds…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58016,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3846],"tags":[267,14822,30413,30414,70,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-58015","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-genetics","8":"tag-genetics","9":"tag-newswise","10":"tag-orthopedicarthritisosteoarthritis-oabone-diseaseaging","11":"tag-rush","12":"tag-science","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114416769159591765","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58015"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58015\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}