Using comparative biology to understand joint damage in children
December 30, 2024

MRI image depicting an osteochondrosis lesion (indicated by the red arrows) in the knee joint of a 16-week-old pig.
Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a joint disorder that affects children and young adults. This painful condition happens when small pieces of bone and cartilage in the joints become loose, limiting movement and causing stiffness. OCD also increases the risk of developing arthritis at an early age.
Research has shown that OCD begins with tiny areas of cartilage damage caused by failure of the blood supply. These early changes, called osteochondrosis, usually don’t cause symptoms, but they can develop into more serious problems. Scientists are still trying to understand how the amount of blood supply loss and repeated physical stress on the joints determine whether these early lesions heal on their own or worsen into painful joint damage that requires medical attention.
With a 5-year, $3.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, researchers from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) are tackling this knowledge gap by studying the factors that influence the development, progression, and healing of OCD lesions.
The research team, led by CVM assistant professor Ferenc Toth, hypothesizes that with an increase in the size of the area where blood supply to the cartilage at the end of a growing bone (the epiphysis) is lost, the potential for long-term damage and symptomatic OCD becomes greater.
By examining affected joints in animals, the study will explore how the amount of blood flow loss and physical stress on the joints influence the development and progression of OCD lesions. It will also identify specific patterns of gene activity at different stages during lesion development.
Toth and his team will draw on their expertise in comparative biology to ensure that the knowledge they gain about disease characteristics in animals can successfully translate to human medicine. He describes, “Our research will provide new evidence from a comparative model to inform clinical management of human patients afflicted with OCD, and aims to demonstrate the role of controlled exercise in promoting recovery in selected cases.”
Importantly, the team’s findings will also have applicability to other juvenile orthopaedic disorders of vascular origin such as Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease.