New Hope for Treatment and Prevention of Joint Diseases
The National Institutes of Health has awarded Rhode Island Hospital a 5-year, $11.1 million grant to study the prevention and treatment of skeletal joint diseases. This research may lead to improved preventive strategies or better treatments for joint diseases such as osteoarthritis, which affects an estimated 21 million Americans and is one of the country’s most common chronic illnesses.
The grant will establish the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence for Skeletal Health and Repair at Rhode Island Hospital. Awarded at a time of intense competition for federal funding for biomedical research, the grant will create a multidisciplinary team of scientists with the hospital’s academic partner, the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. It is one of the largest grants the hospital has ever received.
“The aging of the baby boom generation and soaring obesity rates mean we can expect to see a sharp increase in the number of patients with osteoarthritis and other joint diseases,” says Qian Chen, PhD, principal investigator, director of cell and molecular biology, and head of orthopedic biology at Rhode Island Hospital.
“That’s why it’s critical that we not only expand our search for new and better treatments for joint diseases, but that we also recruit and mentor the next generation of orthopedic researchers.”
Some of the center’s research projects will focus on how long bones are built up during skeletal development, how joint cartilage degenerates in adult joint diseases, and how to repair and rebuild healthy cartilage joints.
“The creation of a multidisciplinary research center will enable investigators from across different disciplines—including those with clinical, biological and engineering expertise—to collaborate on cutting-edge research,” says Michael Ehrlich, MD, surgeon-in-chief of orthopedics at Rhode Island Hospital. “The common goal is to help the millions of Americans who suffer from joint diseases or injury.”
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