Researchers Roel Custers, Harrie Weinans and Eva Bax from the Department of Orthopaedics at UMC Utrecht will receive approximately €2.3 million from a European grant for their research. Their goal is to create an injectable therapy that could regenerate the knee joint and reduce the need for surgery. The funding is part of a €13 million Horizon Europe grant for the ExoCordOA consortium to develop a new regenerative treatment for knee osteoarthritis.
Knee osteoarthritis is a chronic condition in which the cartilage in the knee gradually breaks down. This can make the joint stiff and painful, making it difficult to walk and carry out daily activities.
Since osteoarthritis is chronic, many patients eventually require surgery, which can lead to complications. With this project, the researchers at UMC Utrecht aim to develop a treatment that targets the underlying disease processes and may help to avoid surgery.
The new therapy involves an injection of extracellular vesicles derived from umbilical cord blood cells. These microscopic particles contain proteins that can reduce inflammation and influence the immune system.
Preclinical studies have already shown promising results. “Laboratory studies suggest that this treatment may stimulate regeneration of the knee joint,” explains lead researcher Roel Custers. “It could become one of the first therapies that actually modifies the disease process in osteoarthritis. However, we still need to investigate whether this also happens in patients.”
Before the first patients can be treated, several steps are required. For example, ethical approval is needed because the therapy uses cells derived from umbilical cord blood.
“We expect to start treating the first patients around 2027, initially focusing on safety,” says Custers. “In a later phase we will also evaluate how effective the treatment is.” The researchers expect the first results from 2028 at the earliest.
Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation. The programme supports the creation and wider dissemination of excellent knowledge and technologies. The aim of the programme is to enable the European society to become healthier, more resilient and fairer, while also strengthening the competitiveness of European industry.
