CRTAC1 is a promising biomarker of osteoarthritis

Scientists at deCODE Genetics (a subsidiary of Amgen) report in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatology that levels of chondroic acid-1 (CRTAC1) in plasma are associated with the risk of osteoarthritis (OA) and the progression of joint replacement and are potential biomarkers of
osteoarthritis (OA).

In Iceland, plasma CRTAC1 levels are associated
with osteoarthritis (OA) risk and joint replacement progression.
The new study was conducted at a large UK Biobank resource to determine whether this also applies to individuals from the
UK.

With the support of two different populations, scientists have now identified CRTAC1 as a promising biomarker of osteoarthritis
.
The results showed that CRTAC1 was associated with the prevalence and episodic of osteoarthritis of the knee and hip joints and predicted the progression of joint replacement in
this population.
Of the 1462 proteins measured in the plasma of more than 54,000 people, CRTAC1 was the strongest predictor
of osteoarthritis.
Based on CRTAC1, age, sex and BMI, the highest quintile has a 10-fold
risk of developing knee or hip osteoarthritis within 5 years than the lowest quintile.

Importantly, no link to inflammatory joint disease was found in Iceland, thus making CRTAC1 a specific biomarker for
osteoarthritis.
The lack of biomarkers for osteoarthritis (OA) hinders the development of
effective therapies for this common disease.

Currently, there are no measures to make an early diagnosis of osteoarthritis until destructive changes can be observed on X-rays, and there are no disease-modifying drugs
for osteoarthritis on the market.
This biomarker associated with disease onset and/or progression may help identify people at risk early and monitor the disease process
.