Improving RE-JOIN to better share knee joint and nerve data
Increasing the Efficiency of RE-JOIN Through Data Sharing and Integration
This project is making it easier to combine detailed joint and nerve data to help people with knee osteoarthritis.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baylor College of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11322876 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This work maps nerve connections and cell types in knee joints using advanced 3D imaging, viral circuit tracing, and single-cell molecular profiling, mainly in lab models and tissue samples. Researchers will clear tissues and use fluorescent markers to visualize nerves and blood vessels in three dimensions, trace neural circuits with retrograde viral tools, and use single-cell RNA sequencing plus spatial transcriptomics to identify cell-specific molecular signatures. The team is also improving the RE-JOIN data-sharing platform so multiple sites can integrate and compare their datasets. Together these approaches aim to connect nerve anatomy with molecular profiles that could point toward new pain targets.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with knee osteoarthritis who are willing to contribute clinical data, imaging, or tissue samples to joint-pain research would be the ideal participants or future beneficiaries.
Not a fit: People without knee osteoarthritis or those not willing to share data or samples are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal nerve pathways and molecular targets in painful knees that guide development of better, more targeted pain treatments for osteoarthritis.
How similar studies have performed: Components like tissue clearing, single-cell sequencing, and spatial transcriptomics have shown promise in other tissues, but combining viral circuit tracing with 3D mapping and spatial genomics in osteoarthritic knees is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
Houston, United States
- Baylor College of Medicine — Houston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lee, Brendan — Baylor College of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Lee, Brendan
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 below.