Cardiff scientists' work boosted by charity cash
SCIENTISTS in Cardiff working on research into the crippling condition of osteoarthritis have received a major grant of £116,167 by the Arthritis Research Campaign.
Osteoarthritis is one of the most common forms of arthritis, affecting more than 1 million people in the UK. It is caused by the wearing away of the cartilage in the joint, leading to agonising pain and stiffness.
The three-year ARC grant has been awarded to a team headed by Dr Alvin Kwan, lecturer in the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University, to fund a study into a type of collagen molecule which may regulate the development of cartilage cells during bone growth.
"A living skeleton is made up of bone, cartilage and soft connective tissue, and they are in turn composed of cells and molecules," explained Dr Kwan.
"Knowledge of what molecules are present, and how they assemble to form cartilage is vital to understanding how this tissue forms and how it changes in diseases such as osteoarthritis.
"My team here in Cardiff, have already, through ARC financial support, shown that a collagen molecule, type X collagen, may be one of the components that regulates the development of cartilage cells during bone growth, and is also found in the degenerating cartilage of osteoarthritic hips and knees."
The team's work aims to determine the role of type X collagen in cartilage which will hopefully lead to an increased understanding of the mechanism of the progression of debilitating diseases such as osteoarthritis.
