York spotlight on arthritis research (From York Press)

York spotlight on arthritis research

8:32am Tuesday 4th October 2011 in News By Gavin Aitchison, gavin.aitchison@thepress.co.uk

RESEARCHERS in York are launching a £6 million centre, which could help millions of osteoarthritis sufferers across the country.

Arthritis Research UK and the University of York are collaborating on the new experimental tissue engineering centre, which aims to regenerate bone and cartilage by using patients’ own stem cells to repair joint damage.

It is hoped the research could revolutionise treatment of osteoarthritis, which affects eight million people in the UK, and eventually reduce the need for joint replacement operations.

Professor Alan Silman, medical director of Arthritis Research UK, said: “It’s hugely exciting. At the moment joint replacement surgery is the most effective treatment we have, but we have to allow people with osteoarthritis to deteriorate until they reach a suitable point for surgery.

“This means patients are living for years with increasing pain and disability which has an impact on their quality of life.”

He said hip and knee osteoarthritis would be an increasing problem as the population grew older and wanted to remain active.

He said: “Although joint replacement can be spectacularly successful, finding an injectable cell-based answer that could be used earlier would be a major breakthrough, reducing pain and disability and minimising health service costs. We believe our new centre will lead the way in this exciting field of research.”

The University of York is one of the four institutions that make up the new Arthritis Research UK Tissue Engineering Centre, which is led by Newcastle University and which will be launched on Thursday.

Within five years, researchers aim to treat early osteoarthritis by introducing adult stem cells and other types of cell into damaged joints and repairing damage through less invasive operation such as keyhole surgery. If successful, they hope in future to perform this procedure as a ‘one-stop’ day case treatment, which may delay the need for joint replacement surgery.

Dr Paul Genever, the principal investigator at the Arthritis Research UK Tissue Engineering Centre in York, said: “Every patient has their own ‘repair kit.’ Whereas joint replacement surgery uses metal and plastic to replace the severely damaged joint, we’re trying to treat at an earlier stage and assist the human body to repair itself.

Researchers in York will work with stem cells taken from the bone marrow of patients who have undergone hip and knee replacement surgery.

The £6 million Arthritis Research UK Tissue Engineering Centre is based at sites in Newcastle, Aberdeen, Oswestry and the University of York.

It is funded by a core grant of £2.5 million over five years from Arthritis Research UK with a further £3.4 million pledged by the participating universities.

The University of York is investing £360,000.