Boosting the circadian rhythm of tissue repair in osteoarthritic knees
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A pilot study to boost the endogenous circadian rhythm of tissue repair in osteoarthritic knees
IRAS ID
308561
Contact name
Qing-Jun Meng
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 30 days
Research summary
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic condition that results from damage to joint cartilage. Approximately 20% of adults in the UK have OA in one or both of their knees. Knee OA causes long-term pain and functional disability. Consequently, it is a personal, societal, and economic burden.
The most effective treatment for knee OA is a knee replacement, but this procedure is only performed in end-stage disease. Thus, patients with OA must live with the condition for years until they are eligible for joint replacement. With OA prevalence increasing, a disease-modifying treatment for the condition is fast becoming necessary.
Treating OA is difficult because cartilage cannot repair itself well. One gene associated with cartilage repair is Bmal1. Professor Meng’s research on Bmal1 has shown that the gene has a circadian rhythm (body clock) and that this rhythm is disrupted and dampened in OA conditions. However, further research in animal cartilage showed that Bmal1 expression can be increased by raising the temperature of the tissue. These findings suggest that the cartilage repair process could be boosted in OA joints by increasing the temperature of the affected joint.
This pilot study, funded by the University of Manchester Wellcome Trust Institutional Translational Partnership Award, will translate Meng’s laboratory research into humans. The aims will be to confirm that Bmal1 and other genes can be extracted from OA tissue, and that people with OA find the sleeve acceptable to use.
Twenty participants from Trafford General Hospital (Manchester) will be randomized to wear a heated sleeve (intervention) or a non-heated sleeve (vehicle control) for one hour a day for six weeks before a knee replacement. Participants will complete questionnaires about their experience and donate the tissue removed during surgery to the University of Manchester for analysis.
The results will be used to inform future grant applications.
REC name
London - Stanmore Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0102
Date of REC Opinion
6 Apr 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion