A treatment that targets a protein linked to aging has restored lost knee cartilage in older mice and prevented arthritis from developing after serious joint injuries, according to a Stanford Medicine-led study.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and affects about one in five adults in the United States.
Previous studies showed that 15-PGDH plays a major role in age-related muscle decline in mice.
Scientists have also linked 15-PGDH to the regeneration of bone, nerve, and blood cells.
While researchers have identified possible cartilage-producing stem cells in bone, similar cells have not been successfully identified in articular cartilage.
Our hope is that a similar trial will be launched soon to test its effect in cartilage regeneration.
Blau, Bhutani, and several co-authors are inventors on Stanford University patent applications involving 15-PGDH inhibition for cartilage repair and tissue rejuvenation that have been licensed to Epirium Bio. »