- About 7% of the world’s population has osteoarthritis.
- There is currently no cure for osteoarthritis.
- Researchers from the University of Adelaide have identified a specific type of stem cell they believe to be responsible for the progression of osteoarthritis, via a mouse model.
- Scientists believe this finding may provide new avenues for treatment and even reversal of the disease.
More than 500 million people around the globe, or
Osteoarthritis is the
There is currently no cure for this condition. Doctors use a variety of
Now new research recently published in the journal
Researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia say this finding may provide new avenues for treatment and even reversal of the disease, and challenges the idea of osteoarthritis just being a “wear and tear” condition.
According to Dr. Jia Ng, a postdoctoral researcher in the School of Medicine at the University of Adelaide and the co-lead author of this study, there has been a huge unmet need for the treatment of osteoarthritis.
“Most treatments for osteoarthritis concentrate on treating the symptoms and improving the quality of life instead of targeting the disease, which leads ultimately to joint replacement surgery — this inevitable prospect also has a significant impact on [a] patient’s mental health,” she explained to Medical News Today.
Dr. Ng said it is important to show that osteoarthritis is not just the “wear and tear” condition many believe it to be:
“The original concept of osteoarthritis…
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