Skeletal development research may identify new osteoarthritis therapies

A multidisciplinary team at the UC Davis Health System is conducting experiments to confirm the relationship between osteoarthritis (OA) and Maf factors-a family of cell regulators important to the formation and growth of healthy bones and cartilage-by identifying genetic targets in cartilage that they control. Maf factors may play an important role in cartilage breakdown in early bone development and as persons age, and learning about the genetic regulators that are active during the breakdown process can improve understanding of how to treat patients with OA before surgery is necessary, according to researchers in the UC Davis Health System department of orthopedic surgery. Their comprehensive approach to understanding the cellular processes that prevent OA can lead to nonsurgical therapies that can stop or slow the disease process or enhance cartilage growth, the investigators stated.

For more information about the UC Davis Health System department of orthopedic surgery, visit the department's Web site at http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/orthopaedics. Or, contact the organization at UC Davis Health System, 4900 Broadway, Suite 1200, Sacramento, CA 95820; telephone: (916) 734-9040; fax: (916) 734-9066.