Protein May Alter Inevitability of Osteoarthritis, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Study

Few things in life are inevitable -- death, taxes, and, if you live long enough, osteoarthritis. No treatment will stop or significantly slow the disease, and joint replacement is the only definitive treatment. That may change, however, as researchers such as Dr. Brendan Lee, professor of molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, and his colleagues unravel the effects of a naturally occurring protein called lubricin or Proteoglycans 4 that appears to protect against aging as well as helping with post-injury related changes.