Key words: osteoarthritis, cartilage development, biological marker, small nucleolar RNAs, dwarf growth, molecular research

"Small nucleolar RNAs in chondorgenic differentiation and osteoarthritis"

Healthy cartilage is essential during walking and sports. Because cartilage has no blood circulation, it has virtually no recovery capacity. Cartilage wear and tear is therefore an irreversible process. Osteoarthritis is the most common cartilage wear and tear disorder; more than 1 million people in the Netherlands have osteoarthritis. By using different disease models and cells, important factors were identified that play a role in cartilage development and osteoarthritis. These factors, so-called small nucleolar RNAs, also appear to play a role in a specific form of dwarfism. In osteoarthritis, these factors were identified as biological markers. This means that it might be possible to predict the onset of osteoarthritis in blood, so that therapy can be started earlier before irreversible damage is done. For dwarf growth patients, these insights mean one step closer to a therapy.