The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 NewsACR Convergence
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
      • Psoriatic Arthritis
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting 2012: New Research Into Stem Cell Therapy and Drugs May Lead to Breakthrough Treatments for Osteoarthritis

ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting 2012: New Research Into Stem Cell Therapy and Drugs May Lead to Breakthrough Treatments for Osteoarthritis

February 1, 2013 • By Susan Bernstein

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

Stem cells may be used one day to mend or treat OA-damaged joints, or to create models that help test potential disease-modifying drugs or figure out how OA occurs, Dr. Tuan said. “The cells are really the true tissue engineers. We are just the coaches and cheerleaders,” he concluded.

You Might Also Like
  • ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting 2012: Will Novel Strategies Lead to Breakthroughs in Treating Osteoarthritis?
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy May Help Slow, Repair Degenerative Signs of Osteoarthritis, Musculoskeletal Disease
  • Research Into Causes of Systemic Vasculitis May Lead to Targeted Treatments Say Rheumatologists at the 2013 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting
Explore This Issue
February 2013
Also By This Author
  • ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting 2012: Global Perspectives Make Rheumatology Meeting an International Affair

OA Starting at an Earlier Age

People are getting OA earlier in many developed countries, said David Hunter, MD, PhD, a rheumatologist at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, Australia. The median age of diagnosis is now around 56 years of age, he said. OA diagnoses will likely increase due to several factors. “We are all getting bigger!” he said. “Similarly, joint injury is also one of the biggest drivers for people getting this disease, along with obesity. We are not doing anything about these problems and we need to.”

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Most of his OA patients want to delay or avoid surgery, Dr. Hunter said. Weight reduction to reduce load on joints, preventing OA, or slowing progression should be the first line of defense. Later, palliative strategies like analgesia or, if necessary, arthroplasty can be implemented, Dr. Hunter said.

Drugs now in development that are attracting attention for OA include antinerve growth factor antibodies like tanezumab (although phase III trials to treat OA pain were halted when some participants required joint replacements due to rapidly progressing disease despite symptom relief); bisphosphonates like zoledronic acid; calcitonin; and strontium ranelate. In the future, researchers will focus more on biomarkers that may reveal what patients are most at risk for OA, Dr. Hunter said. These genetic clues, the subject of research efforts by groups like the Biomarkers Consortium of the Foundation of the National Institutes of Health, may indicate signs of OA years before symptoms develop or radiographic evidence is detectable, Dr. Hunter said.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Most of all, rheumatologists must focus on the whole patient in OA, as well as the whole joint, Dr. Hunter concluded. “We are not just interested in cartilage, but OA’s effects on bone, muscle, synovium, and also cartilage. If we do, we are likely to have much more meaningful results,” he said.


Susan Bernstein is a freelance medical journalist based in Atlanta.

Pages: 1 2 3 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions, Meeting Reports, Osteoarthritis Tagged With: Osteoarthritis, Research, Stem Cells, TreatmentIssue: February 2013

You Might Also Like:
  • ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting 2012: Will Novel Strategies Lead to Breakthroughs in Treating Osteoarthritis?
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy May Help Slow, Repair Degenerative Signs of Osteoarthritis, Musculoskeletal Disease
  • Research Into Causes of Systemic Vasculitis May Lead to Targeted Treatments Say Rheumatologists at the 2013 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting
  • ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting 2012: New Treatments and Strategies Emerge for Osteoporosis

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use / Cookie Preferences

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2023 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)