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Blizard Institute - Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry
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  5. Protein called Agrin can repair damaged joint tissue in animal studies, even at very low doses, without noticeable side effects

Protein called Agrin can repair damaged joint tissue in animal studies, even at very low doses, without noticeable side effects

Overview

  • What the study is about 
  • The problem it addresses 
  • Who it’s for 

In 2018, the U.S. FDA recognised osteoarthritis (OA) as a serious condition needing better treatments that can slow or stop the disease, not just relieve symptoms. This allows new drugs to qualify for faster approval if they show they can delay joint damage, reduce pain, and improve function. 

Our team has found that a protein called Agrin can repair damaged joint tissue in animal studies, even at very low doses, without noticeable side effects. It also provided long-lasting pain relief, making it a promising candidate for a new type of OA treatment that could change how the disease progresses. 

To move toward human trials, we have developed a “patient-ready” version of Agrin. We now plan to test it further, identify which patients are most likely to benefit, and confirm its effectiveness. This work could lead to the first treatment that modifies osteoarthritis, rather than just managing symptoms.

Why this study matters

  • The gap in knowledge or care 
  • Why now 
  • Potential relevance to care / communities we serve  

There is a major gap in osteoarthritis care: current treatments mainly relieve pain but do not repair damaged cartilage or stop the disease from progressing. This leaves many patients with worsening mobility, loss of independence, and increased risk of other health problems such as obesity, falls, and heart disease. 

Research on Agrin suggests it could address this unmet need by both relieving pain and regenerating cartilage. If successful, this approach could restore joint function, helping patients return to daily activities, work, and a more active lifestyle. It may also reduce the need for knee replacement surgery, which is costly and not always successful. Overall, this work has the potential to improve quality of life and reduce the broader health and economic burden of osteoarthritis on individuals and communities.

What we’re doing

  • Study design (high level) 
  • Population or data source 
  • Timescale 

We are addressing a key gap in osteoarthritis research, which is the lack of treatments that both repair cartilage and allow faster, more efficient clinical testing. First, it will test a “patient-ready” version of Agrin in a sheep model over one year to confirm long-term cartilage repair, pain relief, and prevent further joint damage. 

Second, it will identify blood-based biomarkers that indicate whether Agrin is working, helping shorten future clinical trials and target patients most likely to benefit. 

Third, it will study human patients after knee injury to identify those at highest risk of disease progression and match them to Agrin-responsive profiles. 

Finally, a digital app will support remote monitoring of symptoms and function, improving data collection and patient engagement in real-world settings.

Who is involved

Include: 

Lead investigators 

Key partners (NHS, industry, charities, international groups)

Current status

  • Recruiting 
  • Data collection underway 
  • Analysis phase 

We are at the beginning of our in-vivo studies, involving sheep as our large animal model. Patient-ready Agrin has been successfully purified, and this will be delivered to the experts in Belgium that will introduce injury in the sheep and administer either Agrin or PBS (as a negative control) as treatment of OA. The sheep have been acquired for the study and ready to be used in Belgium.

Get involved

  • Participant recruitment link
  • Contact email
  • Related publications or protocols 
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