Qld researchers join worldwide osteoarthritis research

There’s new hope for millions of Australians with osteoarthritis as Qld researchers help crack open the genetics of the disease to create better pain relief.

Osteoarthritis often occurs in the knees, hands and hips.

Millions of Australians suffering with painful osteoarthritis have hope of relief with the world’s largest study of the genetics of disease cracking open the path to more effective treatments.

Queensland scientists have been involved in the international research that has identified more than 500 previously unknown genetic links to the disease and hundreds of potential new drug targets.

The findings from an international research team led by Helmholtz Munich in Germany, and involving QIMR Berghofer scientists, have been published in Nature.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. The complex disease is caused by environmental and genetic risk factors that lead to the breakdown of cartilage at the end of joints, often in the knees, hands and hips.

Almost 600 million people are affected globally, including more than two million Australians. The number of patients is predicted to increase to one billion by 2050, making osteoarthritis one of the fastest growing health conditions in the world.

QIMR Berghofer Associate Professor Michelle Lupton said the disease was a leading cause of pain and disability, and new treatments are urgently needed.

“This study is a significant advance in our understanding of osteoarthritis. It could help pave the way for treatments that actually modify the disease, not just treat symptoms such as pain.

“We are very proud to have played a role in this global research by contributing data from our own studies in Australia,” A/Prof Lupton said.

The researchers uncovered 513 new genetic associations linked to osteoarthritis, bringing the total number of known genetic links to 962.

Further analysis found 700 ‘effector’ genes, which are genes that are very likely to be involved in the development of the disease. The study identified more than 470 approved drugs that could target proteins expressed by 69 of these genes. This opens up opportunities to repurpose existing drugs which could accelerate the development of new treatments.

The genome-wide association study is the largest ever performed for osteoarthritis. It analysed data from genetic samples donated by nearly two million people globally, including nearly 490,000 people diagnosed with the disease.