New routes to treating osteoarthritis following genetics study

New genes and biological pathways linked to osteoarthritis have been discovered, which could help identify starting points for medicines, a team of experts outlines in Nature Genetics.

In the largest genetic study of osteoarthritis to date (involving over 77,000 people), scientists have uncovered 52 new genetic changes linked to the disease, doubling the number of genetic regions associated with the disabling condition.

Ten of the genes were highlighted as targets of existing drugs, which are either in clinical development or approved for use against osteoarthritis and other diseases. Prof Eleftheria Zeggini, who is involved in the work, comments:

“Osteoarthritis is a very common, disabling disease with no cure. We have conducted the largest study of osteoarthritis to date, and found over 50 new genetic changes that increase the risk of developing osteoarthritis. This is a major step forward in developing treatments to help the millions of people suffering from the disease.”

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