Dr. Jolanda Cibere of the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada is beginning a three-year study to try to predict the progression of early knee osteoarthritis, and to develop an inexpensive clinical tool for evaluating that progress.

Currently, knee OA is measured using x-rays, a method which is both insensitive in the early stages of the disease and requires long-term followup to track its progress. If we can't predict the progress of OA in an individual patient, we can't efficiently evaluate drugs that are helpful in slowing down the disease. These so-called disease-modifying OA drugs may be particularly useful in patients who are at highest risk of worsening disease.

Using state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Dr. Cibere will evaluate a group of people with early undiagnosed OA, rather than those whose x-rays have shown them to have moderately advanced OA, and will determine what factors are associated with rapid progression of OA. She will then be able to evaluate disease-modifying drugs in future clinical trials for those who are at the highest risk of worsening OA.

Dr. Cibere's study, over time, could translate into an ability to predict the progress of early OA, which will, in turn, allow us to better evaluate the effectiveness of treatment in high-risk populations, and slow the progress of this painful and common joint disease.