Researchers from the Thurston Arthritis Research Center at 黑料网, Amanda E. Nelson, MD, MSCR, RhMSUS, Professor of Medicine, 黑料网 Division of Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology, Liubov Arbeeva, MS, Biostatistician, 黑料网 Thurston Arthritis Research Center, and Yvonne Golightly, PT, MS, PhD, Assistant Dean for Research, Professor, UNMC College of Allied Health Professionals, coauthored a recent Nature publication reporting findings from the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) to date that uncovered drug targets and therapy opportunities for osteoarthritis (OA). Data from the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project (JoCoOA) provided by these researchers contributed significantly to the robust database of nearly 2 million individuals the international team studied to discover new genetic associations of OA.
Read highlights from the Helmholtz Munich press release below.
The research team conducted the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) ever performed on osteoarthritis, uncovering over 900 genetic associations. More than 500 of these associations had never been reported before, providing fresh insights into the genetic landscape of the disease. By integrating diverse biomedical datasets, the researchers identified 700 genes with high confidence as being involved in osteoarthritis. 鈥淲ith ten percent of our genetic targets already linked to approved drugs, we are now one step closer to accelerating the development of effective treatments for osteoarthritis,” explains study leader Prof. Eleftheria Zeggini, Director of the Institute of Translational Genomics at Helmholtz Munich and Professor of Translational Genomics at the Technical University of Munich.
Beyond identifying genetic targets with therapeutic potential, the study also provides valuable insights that could help tailor treatment strategies. 鈥淕enetic variants associated with osteoarthritis risk are widespread across osteoarthritis patients,鈥� says co-first author Dr. Konstantinos Hatzikotoulas. 鈥淥ur newly gained knowledge about them can enable improved patient selection for clinical trials and personalized medicine approaches.鈥� In addition to these genetic insights, the scientists identified eight key biological processes crucial to osteoarthritis development, including the circadian clock and glial cell functions. 鈥淥ur discovery suggests that targeted interventions regulating one or more of these eight processes could play another significant role in slowing or even halting disease progression,鈥� Hatzikotoulas adds.