# Hypertrophy and Inflammation in Osteoarthritis: epistasis or synergy?

> **NIH NIH R01** · NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $64,091

## Abstract

Project Summary:
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by irreversible loss of articular cartilage. There
is no cure for OA. Current treatments provide, at best, relief from pain and inflammation associated with the
more advanced phases of disease but they do not target the OA progression because the molecular
mechanisms are not well understood. A major challenge in OA is halting cartilage damage before disease
progression begins. Cartilage hypertrophy occurs early in OA, but its role in OA progression is not well defined.
In the proposed research we aim to investigate the role of FoxA factors as potential regulators of
articular cartilage hypertrophy and OA progression in both human OA and a murine model of this
disease. To reach this objective, we propose three aims. In Aim 1, we will determine whether loss of FoxA
factors prevents cartilage hypertrophy and degradation following surgical destabilization of the knee joint. In
Aim 2 we will ascertain whether FoxA2-driven chondrocyte hypertrophy primes the articular cartilage for
inflammatory cytokine signaling, or whether inflammation develops in the articular cartilage independent of
hypertrophy. In Aim 3, we will determine whether FoxA2 positive cells give rise to the foci where future
osteoarthritic lesions will develop and whether FoxA factors are induced in deteriorating articular cartilage from
patients with OA. Altogether, these results will provide a strong basis for development of drugs to treat patients
with osteoarthritis. The long term goal is a better understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms
underlying OA onset and progression, in hopes of discovering potential targets for pharmacological
intervention.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10318841
- **Project number:** 7R01AR069671-06
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Andreia M. Ionescu
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $64,091
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2016-07-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10318841

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10318841, Hypertrophy and Inflammation in Osteoarthritis: epistasis or synergy? (7R01AR069671-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10318841. Licensed CC0.

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