Conference: Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) 2019 Annual Meeting, February 2—5, 2019, Austin, Texas, United States
Conference Highlight: Osteoarthritis pathobiology is diverse and complex, involving many cellular mechanisms and pathways (e.g., inflammation, aging and metabolism) that could be the next viable therapeutic target.
Conference Summary: The ORS 2019 Annual Meeting focused on research in all orthopaedic diseases and disorders. Its key highlights are presented below.
Immune Cells in Osteoarthritis: There is significant interest in evaluating the immune component of the joint environment in osteoarthritis. This includes immune cells and inflammation-related cytokines and secreted factors. The contribution of monocytes/macrophages to osteoarthritis has generated much excitement, particularly as they are mediators of up-and-coming therapies such as autologous protein solutions, bone marrow mononuclear cells and mesenchymal stromal cells. However, T cell and neutrophil involvement was also discussed during a workshop titled ‘The Role of Macrophages in Osteoarthritis.’ Clearly, researchers are beginning to capture the full spectrum of immune cell dynamics in the joint post-injury and in osteoarthritis, and various groups are debating which cell type would be the best to target.
Signaling Pathways of Interest in Osteoarthritis: Researchers presented work showing that the under- or over-expression of components of key signaling pathways—such as those involving TGF-beta and NF-kappaB—could lead to disease progression or return joint to homeostatic conditions. TGF-beta homeostasis is important at the interface between cartilage and the subchondral bone. NF-kappaB signaling mediates inflammation and senescence. By examining the effects of aging and characterizing senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP, including cytokines such as IL-6), senolysis (i.e., targeted removal of senescent cells) was demonstrated to be a new putative strategy for osteoarthritis treatment.
Recent Developments in Osteoarthritis Models: The Tuan lab at the University of Pittsburgh has developed an in vitro microfluidic joint model to facilitate high throughput screening of pharmaceutical therapies for osteoarthritis. The model consists of a multi-compartment microfluidic device that houses separate adipose, synovium and osteochondral (bone/cartilage) compartments for isolated and shared fluid flow.
Overall, this conference provided a great platform to learn about the advances made in the field of orthopaedic research.