BIOMARKERS FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS

描述（由申请人提供）：骨关节炎是最常见的滑膜关节疾病，估计在25岁及以上的美国人中有12%和60岁以上的人中有30%会引起疼痛和残疾。最广泛使用的治疗方法是止痛药，以缓解疼痛症状，并最终进行关节置换。骨关节炎倡议（OAI）成立于2000年，是一项膝关节健康研究，旨在建立和维护骨关节炎的自然史数据库，其中包括2004年2月至2006年5月期间入组的4796名年龄在45-79岁之间的男性和女性的临床评价数据、放射学（X线和磁共振）图像和生物标本库。目前还没有实验室检查来帮助做出或确认OA诊断，预测OA的进展或确定治疗是否可能改变疾病的进程。OA生物标志物领域相对较新，最近开发的OA诊断和进展标志物目前正在测试中。在这一点上，令人兴奋的新结果可用于研究人群，并发现了新的生物标志物。继2004年、2005年和2006年成功举办NIAMS/NIA赞助的生物标志物网络研讨会之后，计划在未来四年内再举办三次OA生物标志物研讨会。它们将大约每18个月进行一次，涵盖生物标志物领域目前感兴趣的范围。“首次会议将是前几次会议的直接延续，其中将报告目前对生物化学生物标志物的研究和使用生物标志物的临床研究结果以及新的验证标准。“第二届OA生物标志物研讨会将重点介绍OA遗传学方面的最新令人兴奋的进展，以及使用全基因组筛选来确定疾病生物标志物、疾病风险和治疗方法的新靶点。“第三届OA生物标志物研讨会将强调使用成像方式，如X射线，MRI和其他成像技术作为OA的生物标志物。将建立一个网站，突出与生物标志物相关的信息。在许多其他医学领域，特别是癌症，生物标志物已成为诊断和分析疾病进展的金标准。随着OA对我们的社会产生如此高的影响，开发有效的生物标志物至关重要，这将允许适当规划疾病的治疗并鼓励开发疾病修饰药物。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Osteoarthritis is the most common disorder of the synovial joint, causing pain and disability in an estimated 12 percent of Americans age 25 and older and 30% of those over 60. The most widely used treatments are analgesic medications to relieve pain symptoms and ultimately, joint replacement. The OsteoArthritis Initiative (OAI) was established in 2000 as a knee health study to establish and maintain a natural history database for osteoarthritis that includes clinical evaluation data, radiological (x-ray and magnetic resonance) images, and a biospecimen repository from 4796 men and women ages 45-79 enrolled between February 2004 and May 2006. At present there are no laboratory tests to help make or confirm an OA diagnosis, predict the progression of OA or determine whether therapies may be altering the course of the disease. The field of biomarkers for OA is relatively new, and recently developed markers for OA diagnosis and progression are currently being tested. At this point, exciting new results are available on study populations and novel biomarkers have been discovered. Following up on the successful NIAMS/NIA sponsored Biomarkers Network Workshops in 2004, 2005 and 2006, three additional OA Biomarker Workshops are planned over the next four years. They will occur approximately every 18 months and cover the range of current interests in the biomarkers field. "The initial meeting will be a direct continuation of the previous meetings wherein current research on biochemical biomarkers and results of clinical studies using the biomarkers will be reported as well as new validation criteria. " The second OA Biomarker Workshop will highlight the recent exciting advances in the genetics of OA and the use of genome wide screening to identify new targets for biomarkers of disease, risk of disease, and therapeutics. "The third OA Biomarker Workshop will highlight the use of imaging modalities such as X-rays, MRI and other imaging techniques as biomarkers for OA. A Website will be established that highlights information related to biomarkers. In many other fields of medicine, in particular cancer, biomarkers have become the gold standard in the diagnosis and analysis of progression of disease. With OA having such a high impact on our society, it is critical that valid biomarkers be developed that will allow proper planning of treatment of the disease and encourage the development of disease-modifying drugs.