A Durham, N.C.-based Duke Health-led research team advanced a regenerative osteoarthritis treatment program to its next development phase after meeting preclinical goals under the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health’s “Novel Innovations for Tissue Regeneration in Osteoarthritis” initiative.
The effort is part of the BUD (Boston Children’s/UCLA/Duke) NextGenRegen therapeutic program, which received an initial $13M award in 2024 and could receive up to $12.5M in additional funding, according to an April 6 Duke news release.
Researchers at Duke, Los Angeles-based UCLA, Boston Children’s Hospital and Cambridge, Mass.-based Harvard University are developing three experimental treatments designed to activate the body’s natural repair processes in cartilage and underlying bone. In animal models, the drug combinations restored joint tissue to near-normal levels and reduced pain markers for long periods after treatment.
The team will now focus on advanced safety testing, dosing studies and preparation for the new drug application stage with the FDA before any treatment moves into clinical trials. If development continues as planned, researchers expect to be ready for first-in-human trials within the next 18 to 24 months, the release said.
Osteoarthritis affects more than 32 million Americans. Knee osteoarthritis accounts for more than 80% of all cases, affecting at least 17 million Americans ages 45 and older, and is linked to nearly 800,000 total knee replacement procedures each year in the U.S, according to the release.
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