Project Grant R01AR086835

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases awarded The Regents of the University of Colorado $578,289 on September 1, 2026, under the Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.846, Assistance Listing R01AR086835).

The award funds translation and validation of DualMRI (Displacements Under Applied Loading by MRI), a noninvasive imaging method to measure articular cartilage biomechanics and predict pre-osteoarthritis pathogenesis in vivo. The project applies a bench-to-bedside approach to advance a novel magnetic resonance imaging biomarker capable of detecting early-stage cartilage degeneration before radiographic detection or patient symptom onset, when disease-modifying interventions may be most effective. The work builds on ten years of prior development establishing DualMRI for cartilage biomechanics monitoring, including recent first-in-human clinical workflow demonstration and evaluation of functional outcomes in a patient cohort following ligament reconstruction. The research addresses the need to validate performance of sensitive imaging biomarkers that predict pre-osteoarthritis outcomes and to advance the biomarker through regulatory approval toward FDA premarket submission.

Performance occurs in Colorado through the University of Colorado's Office of Contracts and Grants Division. The period of performance runs through August 31, 2031.