This $527,579 Project Grant award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Trans-NIH Research Support program (CFDA 93.310) aims to investigate the sex- and gender-specific mechanisms driving the increased incidence and severity of knee osteoarthritis in postmenopausal women. The Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Corporation in Boston, Massachusetts will conduct this research with an anticipated completion date of May 31, 2028. Specifically, the project will mechanistically interrogate the roles of soluble microenvironmental factors (Aim 1) and extracellular matrix stiffening (Aim 2) in driving knee osteoarthritis pathogenesis in a sex- and age-dependent manner. The research team will utilize innovative approaches including a heterosex biofluid exchange model, advanced network medicine and machine learning analytics, and a chemically-induced menopausal aging mouse model. The findings are expected to provide critical insights for developing effective interventions that account for sex- and gender-specific variables to benefit the aging population.
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