In the late 1980s, the application of the superb soft tissue contrast of MRI to image the joint led to great optimism that inroads to understanding the natural history of, and applying therapeutics to, osteoarthritis would be quickly forthcoming. However, nearly 20 years later, much about clinical OA has yet to be discovered, there is yet to be a successful trial for a disease modifying OA drug (DMOAD), and radiography is still the mainstay of imaging of OA. The goal of the proposed workshop is to bring together the communities of basic osteoarthritis researchers, orthopedists and rheumatologists, imaging scientists, instrument manufacturers, and pharmaceutical and regulatory representatives to delineate what the pressing questions are in OA research, what imaging science has contributed thus far, what questions imaging can start to address, and what resources and research agenda going forward are needed to accomplish this. In addition to the presentations and podium discussions, there will be two poster sessions from submitted abstracts meant to further elucidate the pressing questions from the community. The workshop comes at a critical time in OA research. OA is a clinical disease where the mainstay of current management is analgesic medication and total joint replacement. Efforts to develop agents to slow, halt or reverse the disease process have been slowed by unresponsive measures of the disease process. Unprecedented investment (both industry and federally sponsored) is currently underway in OA aimed at addressing this pressing concern and developing new and responsive imaging markers. However, there is little consensus on which structures in the joint to image, how to image these structures, and how to measure these changes. The proposed conference will facilitate this dialogue in an effort both to promote appropriate marker development, and in the absence of current measures, provide suggestions for future research agendas. It follows a highly successful 1st Annual Workshop on Imaging Based Measures of Osteoarthritis held in Salzburg, Austria in June 2007 where 130 registrants attended a 3 day workshop to initiate this much needed dialogue. Long Term Objective: To promote applied research and development to applications of in vivo imaging of osteoarthritis. Specific Short Term Objective: To provide funds for estimated costs for travel and meeting registration for scientific program committee and young investigators to attend the 2nd Annual Workshop on Imaging Based Measures on Osteoarthritis from June 25th to 28th 2008 in Boston, MA USA. The goal of the proposed workshop is to bring together the communities of basic osteoarthritis researchers, orthopedists and rheumatologists, imaging scientists, instrument manufacturers, and pharmaceutical and regulatory representatives to delineate what the pressing questions are in OA research, what imaging science has contributed thus far, what questions imaging can start to address, and what resources and research agenda going forward are needed to accomplish this. ? ? ? ?
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| Kalichman, Leonid; Guermazi, Ali; Li, Ling et al. (2010) Facet orientation and tropism: associations with spondylolysis. J Spinal Disord Tech 23:101-5 |
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