Early detection of osteoarthritis (OA), before clinical symptoms set in, is a key element in development of effective strategies (e.g. drug therapies) for significantly delaying the onset of this debilitating disease. Due to its noninvasive nature, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is an ideal candidate for such detection. This technique, however, has not been successful in early OA detection.

 

This talk will present recent in vitro Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) results for normal cartilage, as well as for cartilage treated to emulate OA affected tissue, that suggest a way of making early detection possible. The presentation will connect basic NMR science with the OA detection problem, discuss where we are with the cartilage project at this time, and conclude with proposed next steps in the move toward a more clinical setting.