About Osteoarthritis Clinical Trial Network
The Osteoarthritis Clinical Trial Network is led by world-renowned OA investigators working to create standard protocols for unifying work within the network and the OA scientific community.
Why Osteoarthritis is Important
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and affects 30+ million Americans. OA broadly impacts broadly with a number of contributing factors and co-morbidities. OA has a significant negative impact on quality of life as well as increased clinical, economic, and social burdens of disease. OA patients have a tremendous need for effective treatments to improve clinical endpoints (feel/function). The Arthritis Foundation (AF) must be a leader in OA research to fulfill the needs of its patient constituency.
Osteoarthritis Clinical Trial Network (OA_CTN)
The Arthritis Foundation has taken an approach of focusing on supporting OA clinical research infrastructure. The platform for clinical trials provided by the Arthritis Foundation serves as a thought leading collaboration for advancement for the overall design and conduct of clinical studies. This leadership is necessary to change both the scientific and regulatory environment in a way that makes drug developers more likely to study new therapies for osteoarthritis. The OA-CTN is composed of clinical sites led by world-renowned OA investigators with focuses in musculoskeletal MRI, orthopedic surgery, rheumatology, and sports medicine. Members work to generate standard protocols/techniques to unify and accelerate collaborative work within the network and the broader OA scientific community.
Current Focus:
Post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) is an experimentally important subtype of OA with broad implications for the more prevalent types of OA.
Martin Lotz, MD
Martin Lotz, MD is Head of Arthritis Research and Professor of the Department of Molecular Medicine at the Scripps Research Institute. Dr. Lotz has directed an NIH-funded program on joint aging and osteoarthritis since 1989. Studies on the role of cell death in cartilage led to a project to develop caspase inhibitors for the treatment of post-traumatic arthritis. He is a member of the Arthritis Foundation Board of Directors and the Chair of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board.
Jason Kim, PhD
Jason Kim, PhD is the Director of Osteoarthritis Research Program at the Arthritis Foundation. Previously, he spent over 10 years making in vitro diagnostic tests for sickle cell disease, thyroid disorders, cardiac disease, and cancer. As a corporate scientist and product developer, he has led teams in design control, manufacture transfer, QA/QC, production scale-up, and regulatory approval for the purpose of commercial launch. Trained as a chemist, he received his BSc from the UCLA and his PhD from the UNC Chapel Hill. He completed his postdoctoral training at the US Naval Research Lab in Washington DC.
Contact Us
Reach out to discuss working on a new or existing clinical trial project. We welcome your questions about the Osteoarthritis Clinical Trial Network (OA-CTN).