Osteoarthritis Gene Therapy Research Honored With OREF Award

The founders of Genascence, a UF Innovate | Accelerate gene therapy startup, have been awarded with the 2024 Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) Clinical Research Award for their research on local gene therapy for osteoarthritis (OA). Over the past 30 years, the team has spearheaded research from the lab to human critical trials. This award recognizes outstanding clinical research related to musculoskeletal disease or injury.

OA is the most common form of arthritis, affecting 32.5 million Americans. The disease causes joint cartilage to break down between bones, causing pain and stiffness, and can lead to disability. The team’s research has been some of the first gene therapy that looks to treat non-genetic diseases.

The team is currently enrolling for a Phase Ib trial with 50 patients who have mid-stage OA. Genascence will help fund the clinical trials.