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August 5 2006
The Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), a public-private partnership between
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and private industry that seeks
to improve diagnosis and monitoring of osteoarthritis (OA) and foster development
of new treatments, has released its first set of data.
Making this information available to researchers worldwide will expedite
the pace of scientific studies and identification of biological and structural
markers (biomarkers) for OA. Researchers can analyze the data to form new
hypotheses for further study of OA, which is the major cause of activity
limitation and disability in older people. Images, including x rays and
magnetic resonance imaging scans, will also be available to researchers
upon request. All data are stored with an anonymous identification number
to protect the confidentiality of the participants’ information.
“Since its inception, the OAI has been a premier example of how
industry, government, and academic sectors might work together to add value
to biomedical research,” says NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D.
“This first data release is proof positive that with cooperation,
we can achieve results that neither the government nor its private partners
is able to reach alone.”
Over the next five years, the OAI will provide an unparalleled, state-of-the-art
longitudinal database of images and clinical outcome information to facilitate
the discovery of biomarkers for development and progression of OA. In this
case, a biomarker would be a physical sign or biological substance that
indicates changes in bone or cartilage.
Nearly 5,000 people at risk of developing knee OA, in the early stage of
the disease or with more advanced knee OA are participating in the OAI at
four centers around the United States. Participants in the research study
provide biological specimens (blood, urine, and DNA); images (X rays and
magnetic resonance scans); and clinical data such as dietary intake, medication
use and pain, function, and general health assessments.
Data gathered from participants are available to researchers at http://www.oai.ucsf.edu.
The data include symptoms; pain severity; a measure of pain, stiffness,
and function known as the WOMAC OA index; walking ability; endurance; balance
and strength; nutrition; and prescription medicines and alternative therapies
used by the participants.
A second set of data will be released later in 2006, and a third release
will take place early in 2007. Subsequent data will be released at approximately
six — month intervals.
The four centers taking part in the study and their principal investigators
include:
- The University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore; Marc Hochberg,
M.D., M.P.H., in conjunction with Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center;
Joan Bathon, M.D.
- The Ohio State University, Columbus; Rebecca Jackson, M.D.
- The University of Pittsburgh; C. Kent Kwoh, M.D.
- Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island , Pawtucket; Charles Eaton, M.D.
The study is coordinated and the data from the study and the Web site are
managed by the University of California, San Francisco. The principal investigator
for the Data Coordinating Center is Michael Nevitt, Ph.D.
Today, 35 million people — 13 percent of the U.S. population —
are 65 and older, and more than half of them have radiological evidence
of osteoarthritis in at least one joint. By 2030, an estimated 20 percent
of Americans — about 70 million people — will have passed their
65th birthday and will be at increased risk for OA.
The OAI is a public-private partnership comprised of five contracts funded
by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
(NIAMS), National Institute on Aging (NIA), Office of Research on Women’s
Health (ORWH), National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR),
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), National
Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) and National Center
for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), all part of the Department
of Health and Human Services’ National Institutes of Health. Private
funding partners include Merck Research Laboratories, Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Corporation, GlaxoSmithKline, and Pfizer Inc. Private-sector funding for
the OAI is managed by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health.
The mission of the NIAMS is to support research into the causes, treatment
and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases; the training
of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research; and the dissemination
of information on research progress in these diseases.
SOURCE: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
(NIAMS) |
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