How joints respond to stress as we age and in osteoarthritis
Official title: Imaging of Joint Response to Physiological Stress with Age, Sex and in Osteoarthritis
Funded at Stanford University · NIH-11045792 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how osteoarthritis affects your joints and how they respond to everyday activities, especially as you get older, using special imaging techniques to find early signs of the condition before serious damage happens.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $513,480 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AR079431-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11045792 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research include older adults experiencing joint pain or those at risk for developing osteoarthritis.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with advanced osteoarthritis or those who do not experience joint pain may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how osteoarthritis (OA) affects joint function and tissue response to everyday physical stress, particularly focusing on the role of age. Using advanced imaging techniques like PET-MRI, the study aims to identify early markers of OA by evaluating changes in bone metabolism and joint loading. The goal is to develop a novel imaging 'stress test' that can detect OA at an early stage, potentially before irreversible damage occurs. This approach seeks to improve our understanding of how aging influences joint health and response to physical activity.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to earlier detection and better management of osteoarthritis, improving quality of life for patients.
How similar studies have gone: Other research has shown promise in using advanced imaging techniques to assess joint health, suggesting that this approach could yield valuable insights.
Where this research is happening
-
Stanford University
Stanford, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kogan, Feliks — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Kogan, Feliks
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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How joints respond to everyday loading with age, sex, and osteoarthritis
This project uses PET‑MRI scans taken before and after normal joint loading to measure bone and cartilage responses in older adults and people with osteoarthritis.
-
Understanding how knee pain and knee obesity and muscle loss affect knee osteoarthritis
This project looks at how knee swelling, excess knee fat, and muscle loss relate to pain and structural changes in knee osteoarthritis in adults.
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Identifying OA subtypes and early warning signs before joint damage
This grant asks researchers to find early, invisible clues of osteoarthritis subtypes so we can target treatments before joints are damaged.
-
Digital biomarkers to guide personalized rehab after ACL injury
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-
Aberrant mechano-oxygen coupling linked to zinc-rich mineralization in osteoarthritis
Aims to understand how abnormal joint forces affect cartilage and bone, causing zinc-rich mineral deposits and harmful blood vessel growth in osteoarthritis.
-
Notch signaling in TMJ osteoarthritis: uncovering mechanisms and new targets
Researchers are studying how Notch signaling affects TMJ osteoarthritis to identify new ways to protect and repair the jaw joint.
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.