Enrollment Begins for Osteoarthritis Initiative
Recruitment has begun for the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI),
a public-private partnership between the National Institutes of
Health and industry that funds a multisite contract to create a
resource to hasten discovery of biological markers for osteoarthritis
(OA).
Men and women age 45 and older at risk for developing OA and those
with early disease are eligible to participate. After an initial
screening, four centers around the United States plan to each enroll
and follow 1,250 adults for five years (total enrollment of 5,000).
Biological specimens (blood, urine, DNA), images (X-rays and magnetic
resonance scans) and clinical data will be collected annually.
Biological markers physical signs or biological substances
that indicate changes in bone or cartilage are critical in diagnosing
and monitoring OA and developing new treatments. Ultimately, results
from the OAI may enable doctors to use biological markers to help
identify people at risk for OA and people with OA at risk for disease
progression. The markers could also help doctors assess the effectiveness
of treatments.
The four clinical centers, selected in the summer of 2002, include
the University of Maryland School of Medicine/Johns Hopkins University,
the Ohio State University Medical Center, the University of Pittsburgh
and the Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island/Brown University. A data
coordinating center at the University of California, San Francisco
oversees the study conduct and will manage the resulting data. The
Ohio State University and University of Pittsburgh centers enrolled
their first participants the week of February 23, and centers in
Maryland and Rhode Island will begin enrollment in late March and
early April.
The clinical centers may be contacted at:
Ms. Raushanah Kareem
University of Maryland
10 South Pine Street, Room 8-34, MSTF
Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 706-5791 or (866) 565-KNEE (toll free)
Osteoarthritis Initiative
The Ohio State University
198 McCampbell Hall
1581 Dodd Drive
Columbus, OH 43210
(614) 688-3563 or (800) 251-1175 (toll free)
Study Office/GSPH
University of Pittsburgh
4200 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-9910
(800) 872-3653 (toll free)
Osteoarthritis Initiative
Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island/Brown University
ATTN: Doris Moore
111 Brewster Street, CPCP Building, 2nd Floor
Pawtucket, RI 02860
(800) 877-3347 (toll free)
Osteoarthritis, a degenerative condition whose hallmarks are joint
pain and limited movement resulting from progressive loss of cartilage,
is the most common type of arthritis, especially among older people.
It can occur in any joint, but most often affects the hands, knees,
hips or spine. There are currently no treatments, other than surgical
joint replacement, that significantly change the course of this
joint disease, and clinical trials for new therapies are long, difficult
and expensive.
The OAI is a federal contract 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,
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National
Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities and National Center
for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, all part of the Department
of Health and Human Services' National Institutes of Health. Private
funding partners include Merck Research Laboratories; Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Corporation; and Pfizer Inc. Private sector funding for the OAI
is being managed by the Foundation for the National Institutes of
Health.
For information on the OAI, visit The OAI: A Knee Health Study
at http://www.oai.ucsf.edu/clinics.asp.
For general questions, visit http://www.niams.nih.gov/ne/press/2001/07_17qa.htm.
The NIAMS Office of Communications and Public Liaison (301-496-8190)
or the NIA Communications Office (301-496-1752) can also be contacted
for information.
The mission of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal
and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a part of the Department of Health and
Human Services' National Institutes of Health, 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. For more information about
NIAMS, call the information clearinghouse at (301) 495-4484 or (877)
22-NIAMS (free call) or visit the NIAMS Web site at http://www.niams.nih.gov.
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