UNC arthritis researcher Brian Diekman, Ph.D., has been awarded a $100,000 Arthritis and Aging Research Grant.
(Republished from the UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center)
“Aging is clearly the biggest risk factor for the development of osteoarthritis, but little is known about how specific age-related changes to cells cause the breakdown of cartilage,” says Dr. Diekman. “I want to answer this fundamental question by getting insight into the common mechanisms of aging across different tissue systems. The search for disease-modifying drugs for osteoarthritis has been very challenging, and many patients have to withstand high levels of pain until the time is right for a total joint replacement.”
The research funding provided by a grant from the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) will enable Dr. Brian Diekman to study mechanisms of aging across different tissue systems. The hope is that this type of research will help play a role in advancing new discoveries that can help prevent and better treat all forms of arthritis.