The University of California Los Angeles is part of a multi-institution research team that earned a contract of up to $33 million to develop treatments for joint regeneration for osteoarthritis.
UCLA's cut of up to $12.3 million is part of the federal Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health's funding, according to an April 29 news release. The money will support the development of new therapies with a goal of completing FDA phase 1 clinical trials within the next five years.
Orthopedic surgeon Sharon Hame, MD, will be the team's equity lead, and Thomas Kremen Jr., MD, will be the lead investigator for the proposed clinical trial. UCLA's team also includes Karen Lyons, PhD, and Weiguang Wang, PhD.
"The NITRO award is specifically designed to translate innovative discoveries made in the lab into novel therapies capable of regenerating or replacing bone and cartilage in patients suffering from osteoarthritis," Dr. Kremen said in the release. "The clinical trial associated with this accelerated therapy development is planned to take place at UCLA starting as soon as 2027. It’s an exciting – and truly game-changing – endeavor."