A detailed 3-D map of knee nerves
Official title: Mapping the joint-nerve interactome of the knee
Funded at Rush University Medical Center · NIH-11398673 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Creating 3-D maps of nerve cells in healthy, injured, and arthritic knees to help people with knee pain.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rush University Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | September 23, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $83,970 |
| NIH project number | 3UC2AR082186-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11398673 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are people with knee osteoarthritis or patients undergoing knee surgery who can donate tissue or allow their tissue to be studied.
✕Less likely to help
People without knee problems or those not able or willing to donate tissue are unlikely to get direct benefit from participating.
What this research studies
This project will build high-resolution 3-D anatomical models of knee nerves using tissue-clearing, ribbon-scanning confocal, and lightsheet imaging on mouse and human samples. The team will label different nerve types and apply single-cell and spatial transcriptomics to create a cell atlas showing gene activity in knee-innervating neurons. They will compare nerves from young, aged, injured, and osteoarthritic knees to document how patterns and molecular signals change. The maps and interactome data aim to reveal nerve–joint connections that could guide new pain-relief strategies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal specific nerve cell targets or pathways that lead to better treatments for knee pain and osteoarthritis.
How similar studies have gone: High-resolution imaging and single-cell profiling have helped identify pain-related nerve types in other tissues, but a comprehensive 3-D nerve atlas specific to the knee is largely new.
Where this research is happening
-
Rush University Medical Center
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Malfait, Anne-Marie — Rush University Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Malfait, Anne-Marie
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.