Osteoarthritis Team Grant

Alberta Osteoarthritis Team —
Creating Bone and Joint Health from Bedside to the Bench and Back Again

Bone and joint health conditions are leading global causes of morbidity and disability, costing billions in healthcare expenditure and lost earnings. More specifically, recent findings suggest that 40% of people over 70 years of age suffer from Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, 80% of whom have some limitation of movement and 25% are unable to perform major daily life activities. While OA increases with aging, for many other reasons (active lifestyles, injuries, obesity, and others TBD) its incidence and prevalence are increasing. Unfortunately, as of 2007, there is no simple “cure” for OA and there are no known treatments which can predictably slow its progression.

Osteoarthritis Research

The Problem

Bone and joint health conditions are leading global causes of morbidity and disability.
An Alberta study in 2002 showed that 24% of health care visits were for bone and joint conditions and that nearly 1 out of 3 Albertans sought care for these problems every year.
40% of people over 70 years suffer from OA.
OA affects 1 in 7 Canadians (>400,000 Albertans); >60% are females.
While OA increases with aging, for many other reasons (active lifestyles, injuries, obesity, genetics and others) its incidence and prevalence are increasing.

Why now — Patients

There is no simple ‘cure’ for OA.
There are no known treatments that can predictably slow OA progression.
OA costs billions in healthcare expenditure, lost earnings and patient quality of life

The Plan

Our team made the strategic decision to implement a ‘4-pillar’ project plan with an integrated approach to discovering better diagnostics and therapeutics for patients while creating common platforms that will inform and prioritize the various mechanisms of this disease and ultimately define the relative risks of disease progression in individuals.

The Projects

Project 1: Improving health services for OA Patients
Project 2: Novel treatments for OA patients
Project 3: Defining the risks for OA development and progression
Project 4: OA prevention in ‘at Risk’ populations