Osteoarthritis affects more than 30 million in the US, and people of American Indian and Native ancestry are disproportionately impacted. ARPA-H is a signature achievement of the Biden administration and aims to advance breakthroughs in biomedical research to improve people's lives.
The Novel Innovations for Tissue Regeneration in Osteoarthritis (NITRO) of ARPA-H held its kickoff event in Tahlequah, the capital of the two federally recognized Cherokee tribes based in Oklahoma.
“The Cherokee Nation is honored to collaborate with ARPA-H and host the kickoff event for this innovative program,” Cherokee Nation Health Services Deputy Executive Director Brian Hail said. “Osteoarthritis has a disproportionate impact on Cherokees, and we are committed to supporting initiatives that aim to develop accessible and effective treatments for this condition.”
The current standard of care for osteoarthritis is often open-joint surgery to replace the body's tissues with grafts or artificial implants. This carries risk of infection, rejection, or implant failure. NITRO aims to create minimally invasive means to regenerate patients’ joints through three related research areas: bone regeneration, cartilage regeneration, and replacement joints created from human cells.
ARPA-H has chosen the five performer teams from around the US to take part in the research areas and drive this program forward.
For more information:
www.cherokeephoenix.org/…
arpa-h.gov/…
arpa-h.gov/…