The role of an aggrecan 32mer fragment in developing osteoarthritis

Project Details

The proteoglycan aggrecan is a key component of the cartilage matrix, responsible for enabling weight bearing, by providing compressive relilience. Aggrecan is degraded in early osteoarthritis (OA) and we have evidence to suggest that a fragment of aggrecan, the ‘32mer’, might initiate the inflammation that leads to cartilge pathology. We have a project funded by the USA Department of Defense to investigate whether a monoclonal antibody that neutralises 32mer activity will alleviate OA following acute joint injury.

Researchers

  • Ms Suzanne Golub, Research Assistant
  • Ms Karena Last, Research Assistant
  • Ms Jia-Xi Han, Research Assistant
  • Ms Lynette Ong, PhD Student
  • Dr Heather Stanton, Research Officer/Administrator

Collaborators

  • Professor Hideaki Nagase, Kazuhiro Yamamoto & Dr Linda Troeberg, Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Oxford, UK
  • Dr Anne-Marie Malfait & Dr Rachel Miller, Rush University, Chicago, USA
  • Prof Alan Grodzinsky, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, USA
  • Prof Virginia Kraus, Duke University, USA
  • Prof Anders Aspberg, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Prof Frank Beier, University of Western Ontario, Canada
  • Dr Paul Holden, Oregon Health & Science University, Oregon, USA
  • Prof Danny Chan, University of Hong Kong, China
  • A/Prof Philip Sutton, MCRI
  • Prof John Bateman, MCRI
  • A/Prof Shireen Lamande, MCRI
  • Dr Marc Seal, Royal Children’s Hospital
  • Prof David Jackson, University of Melbourne
  • Prof Eleanor Mackie, University of Melbourne
  • A/Prof Natalie Sims, St Vincent’s Institute, Melbourne
  • Prof Chris Little, University of Sydney, NSW

Funding

  • USA Department of Defense
  • National Health & Medical Research Council  
  • Australian Research Council

Research Outcomes

  • Lees, S. Golub, SB., Last, K., Zeng, W., Jackson, DJ. &, Sutton, P. & Fosang, AJ. (2015) Bioactivity in an aggrecan 32-mer fragment is mediated via Toll-like receptor 2 Arthritis  Rheumatol. 67, 1240-1249.

Research Group

Arthritis Research Group



Faculty Research Themes

Neuroscience

School Research Themes

Neuroscience & Psychiatry, Musculoskeletal



Key Contact

For further information about this research, please contact the research group leader.

Department / Centre

Paediatrics

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