The National Institute on Aging recently awarded Richard F. Loeser, Jr., MD, Director of the Thurston Arthritis Research Center (TARC) and Joseph P. Archie, Jr. Eminent Professor of Medicine in UNC’s Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, a $2.265 million 4-year award for his project, “Integrin Signaling in Osteoarthritis.”
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of pain and chronic disability in older adults, affecting over 600 million individuals worldwide. Current management is inadequate and there are no therapies that alter the course of the disease. Consequently, there is a critical need to improve the understanding of basic mechanisms driving joint tissue destruction in OA. The long-term goal of this project will focus on intracellular signaling mediated by the α5β1 integrin in response to matrix damage. The results from this work will define targets for novel disease modifying therapies needed to advance the treatment of OA.
Award number: 1RF1AG094810-01