Osteoarthritis (OA) is by far the most common rheumatological disease; at an advanced age, almost everyone is affected by the disease. Nevertheless, the pathogenesis of OA remains largely unknown.
Different pathomechanisms take place in the articular cartilage and the underlying bone, which significantly affect these tissues and sooner or later lead to joint damage.
On the basic scientific side, the "Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Biology" working group is concerned with molecular biological processes in healthy and diseased joints in order to gain a better understanding of the pathology of OA. From cell culture and histology to gene sequencing, a variety of methods are used to help us recognise the complex processes at cellular level that are responsible for the development/progression of OA.
Auf klinischer Seite führt die Arbeitsgruppe zum einen Therapiestudien bei Fingerpolyarthrosen durch; zum anderen beschäftigt uns die Optimierung der diagnostischen Möglichkeiten, vor allem die radiographische Bildgebung von osteoarthrotischen Gelenken, sowie epidemiologische Untersuchungen bei Patient:innen mit Fingerpolyarthrose.