Osteoarthritis models

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a painful chronic condition with a significant impact on quality of life. The societal burden imposed by OA is increasing in parallel with the aging population. Knee osteoarthritis (OA) affects an estimated 27 million Americans (Lawrence R.C., et al. Part II,” Arthritis & Rheumatism, vol. 58, no. 1, pp. 26–35, 2008). Despite extensive research seeking therapeutic interventions for this disease, there are still no proven disease-modifying treatments for osteoarthritis. With the number of total knee arthroplasties growing each year, this is a rapidly expanding public health epidemic, both in terms of health-related quality of life and financial expenditure (Losina E, et al. The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery A, vol. 94, no. 3, pp. 201 – 207, 2012).

Current mainstays of therapy include activity modification, conservative pain management strategies, weight loss, and if necessary, replacement of the affected joint.

For this disease, Cellvax proposes two main types of animal models in order to speed up the new drug development:

  1. Induced Osteoarthritis (OA) Animal Models
  • Anterior Cruciate Ligament Transection (ACLT) in rabbits, rats;
  • Meniscectomy;
  • Patellectomy;
  • Immobilization;
  • Ovariectomy: Postmenopausal OA;
  • Enzymatic / chemically induced OA.
  1. Spontaneous Osteoarthritis (OA) Animal Models
  • Mouse (DBA/1, STR/ORT, C57BL/6, C57);
  • Guinea pig (Hartley, Duncan-Hartley).