Preventing knee osteoarthritis in older women
Official title: The Osteoarthritis Prevention Study (TOPS)
Funded at Wake Forest University · NIH-11178419 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Looks at whether a program of diet-based weight loss, exercise, and long-term weight-maintenance can prevent knee osteoarthritis in women aged 50 and older with obesity and little or no knee pain.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wake Forest University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Winston-Salem, United States) |
| Project start | August 10, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $2,043,678 |
| NIH project number | 5U01AR082121-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11178419 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Women aged 50 years or older with obesity who currently have no or only infrequent knee pain are the intended participants.
✕Less likely to help
People who already have established knee osteoarthritis, frequent knee pain, or who are not overweight/obese are unlikely to receive benefit from this prevention-focused program.
What this research studies
You would be randomly assigned to a structured program of dietary weight loss plus exercise with ongoing weight-maintenance support or to an attention-control group. The program is run at several sites in the U.S. and Sydney, Australia, and includes supervised exercise, nutrition counseling, and follow-up to help keep weight off. Researchers will track knee symptoms, imaging of knee structure, biological markers, and health-care use over several years to see who develops knee osteoarthritis. The trial aims to show whether this non-drug, non-surgical approach can prevent new cases of knee OA in high-risk women.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this program could lower the chance of developing knee osteoarthritis, reduce future pain and disability, and decrease the need for surgeries in older women with obesity.
How similar studies have gone: Weight-loss and exercise programs have strong evidence for helping people who already have knee OA, but large prevention trials testing whether they stop OA from starting in at-risk women are limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Messier, Stephen P — Wake Forest University
- Study coordinator: Messier, Stephen P
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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.