Osteoarthritis—the most common form of arthritis—is a degenerative joint disease, and the major cause of physical limitations and disability in older people. Today, 35 million people (13 percent of the U.S. population) are 65 and older, and more than half of them have clear evidence of osteoarthritis in at least one joint. By 2030, 20 percent of Americans (about 70 million people) will have passed their 65th birthday and will be at risk for osteoarthritis.

The lack of identified, discrete, measures of  the disease’s progression has limited scientific and clinical experts’ ability to diagnose, monitor and treat it.

The Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) is a multi-center, longitudinal, prospective observational study of knee osteoarthritis, the largest of its kind, is coordinated by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease (NIAMS) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA). The public-private partnership that helps to support it was formed by NIH and the foundation in 2002 with the goal of developing resources for the identification of biological markers of the disease and treatment targets.

The goals of the partnership include pooling public and private scientific expertise and funding to collect, analyze and make available the largest research resource of clinical data, radiologic information and biospecimens from those at risk for or diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis. The Foundation for NIH raised $20.8 million from the private sector for this project.

For further information on the Osteoarthritis Initiative, visit the study Web site.

Partners
GlaxoSmithKline
Merck & Co., Inc.
Novartis
Pfizer Inc