Bioengineering a finger joint replacement
Description: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease of joints which are composed of soft tissue (cartilage) covering the ends of bones. It is the most common type of arthritis in Canada, and finger OA affects 10% of women and 7% of men. In the absence of disease modifying treatments, current therapeutic modalities are aimed at reducing pain. These treatments alleviate symptoms but do not inhibit the processes that result in the changes characteristic of this disease. Failure of these treatments usually culminates in joint replacement surgery. Current studies reporting outcomes of artificial finger joint replacements have highlighted the high rate of failure and lack of efficacy in restoring hand function by such implants. We have developed an alternative biological approach to joint repair that involves formation of a personalized biological replacement designed for secure fixation by bone ingrowth while presenting a surface lined by cartilage that will mimic the native joint form. In time as the bone substitute component degrades and is replaced by natural tissues (bone), this replacement part will allow for complete joint regeneration to desired form and function. The goal of this research proposal is to develop and evaluate a biologic small joint replacement in a pre-clinical animal model. The goal is to design a finger joint replacement that can be used to resurface a joint in the hand or wrist affected by either osteoarthritis or any inflammatory arthritis such as psoriatic or rheumatoid arthritis. With the results obtained from the proposed studies it will be possible to progress towards translating our approach into a clinical treatment for people with hand arthritis.
Amount: CA$423,900
Funding type: research
Funder scheme: Project Grant
Start date: 2018-10-01
End date: 2022-09-30
Investigator: Rita Kandel
Institution: Sinai Health System (Toronto)
Funded outputs count: 0
Funder award ID: 159722_1
OpenAlex ID: G8859599047