NIH-funded research R21 grant

Deep phenotyping to map osteoarthritis progression

Official title: A deep phenotyping approach to characterizing osteoarthritis progression

Funded at Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences · NIH-11445771 · Data updated 2026-11-12

A study will combine symptoms, joint structure, and daily activity data to identify patterns that predict osteoarthritis progression and potential biomarkers.

Quick facts

Grant typeR21 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionHenry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences
NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (East Lansing, United States)
Project startSeptember 18, 2026
Project endAugust 31, 2028
Funding year2026
Award (this year)$366,988
NIH project number1R21AR082957-01A1
Project IDNIH-11445771 on NIH RePORTER

Who could benefit from this research

Could help

Adults with osteoarthritis or at high risk for OA progression who can provide clinical data, imaging, and biological samples.

Less likely to help

Patients without OA or those not contributing data or samples may not directly benefit.

What this research studies

This project will collect and integrate new and existing data on pain, joint changes seen on imaging, and daily activity to create a unified picture of how OA progresses over time. Using advanced Bayesian methods, researchers will derive a latent phenotype that represents progression risk and link it to microRNA biomarkers. The goal is to identify who is at high risk for worsening OA so future treatments or trials can be targeted to them. The work aims to move beyond looking at symptoms or structure alone by combining multiple factors in a single, interpretable model.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, patients at high risk of OA progression could be identified earlier and targeted with personalized interventions or trials.

How similar studies have gone: Prior work showed that integrating multiple data types can improve phenotyping, but this project adds longitudinal deep phenotyping and a biomarker angle.

Where this research is happening

  • Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences
    East Lansing, United States
    Active

Researchers

  • Principal investigator: Ali, Shabana Amanda — Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences
  • Study coordinator: Ali, Shabana Amanda

Related research

Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.
Last reviewed 2026-11-14 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.