University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers have developed a promising technique for treating osteoarthritis using therapeutic blood clots activated by messenger RNA, Report informs via News Medical.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting roughly 33 million adults in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It occurs when cartilage in key joints like the knees and hips deteriorates, causing pain and stiffness and impeding mobility.

In a paper in the journal Bioactive Materials published online in December 2024, the UW–Madison research team led by William Murphy, a professor of biomedical engineering and orthopedics and rehabilitation, details its new approach. With further development, it could one day offer a more effective option than treatments such as steroid injections, hyaluronic acid injections or even joint replacement surgeries.

“The best-case scenario is that this could be an injectable or implantable treatment for patients who have advanced osteoarthritis. This would be an alternative to the existing methods for treatment, which generally don’t show a high level of long-term success,” said William Murphy, professor of biomedical engineering and orthopedics and rehabilitation.

Following the lead of his lab’s previous work on mRNA-based vaccines, therapies for spinal cord injuries and more, the method relies upon mineral-coated microparticles to deliver mRNA that encodes for production of a protein that supports cartilage formation.

First, the team takes bone marrow aspirate (liquid bone marrow) and peripheral blood samples from a patient, mixes in the microparticles, and then forms the mixture into a blood clot. Then the mRNA-activated clot gets delivered to the site of the damage.

After seeing success in rabbit models, the group will test its treatment strategy in a larger animal model before proceeding toward human clinical trials.