A single shot reversed arthritis in just weeks

A research team in Colorado has developed therapies that prompt aging or damaged joints to repair themselves within four to eight weeks, according to animal studies. One approach is a single injection built around an FDA-approved drug, delivered by a patented particle system that releases intermittent bursts for months. The other is a cocktail of engineered proteins, injected arthroscopically and cured into place, that recruits the body's own cells to patch holes in worn cartilage. "In two years, we were able to go from a moonshot idea to developing these therapies to demonstrating that they reverse osteo-arthritis in animals," said Stephanie Bryant, a chemical engineering professor at CU Boulder who led the work with researchers from Colorado State University and CU Anschutz. Osteo-arthritis affects roughly one in six people over 30 worldwide, and until now patients had two options: treat the pain or replace the joint. The team hopes clinical trials could begin in as little as 18 months. Bryant, for her part, called it "super exciting."