Areas of research that are considered in-scope for an ADVANCE research grant, with the condition of interest being osteoarthritis (OA) and chronic pain associated with OA, will include studies that aim to advance the understanding of the following.

• Evaluation of unmet medical needs in pain management associated with OA ¹ as follows:
  • Benefit-risk assessment and patient preference in the choice of pain medication for patients with comorbid conditions (e.g., cardiovascular disease or history of substance abuse)
  • How risks associated with long-term use of analgesics are assessed currently ²
  • Treatment of chronic pain in special populations (e.g., postsurgical, elderly)
• Evaluation of multi-disciplinary approaches to management of OA (e.g., physical therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy [CBT]) and their combination with pharmacological treatment ^3-5
• Understand and predict response to treatment, ^6,7 disease state, and course of OA (normal and rapid trajectories) ^8-10
• Approaches to improving adherence to therapy or therapeutic regimes for pain associated with OA ^11,12
• Use of patient characteristics such as biomarkers or other objective evaluations (e.g., quantitative sensory testing [QST], imaging modalities) in the assessment and management of OA to better understand disease course ^13-16
• Evaluation of improved function
  • How changes of physical function are assessed in clinical practice in patients with OA, and how current physical function assessment could be improved ^17-20
  • How individual goal setting can contribute to treatment outcome (including pain and function) ²¹
  • What impact the improved physical function has on the patients’ quality of life ²²

Areas that are considered out of scope and will NOT be considered for an ADVANCE research grant include:

• Studies not involving OA
• Preclinical research
• Studies involving pregnant or lactating females and/or participants <18 years of age
• Any drug requests
• Requests for funding from countries that currently have restrictions on trade with the United States

1. Kolasinski SL et al. 2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation Guideline for the Management of Osteoarthritis of the Hand, Hip, and Knee. Arthritis Care Res 2020;72(2):149-162.
2. Charlesworth J et al. Osteoarthritis– A Systematic Review of Long-Term Safety Implications for Osteoarthritis of the Knee. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2019;20(1):151.
3. Finney A et al. Multidisciplinary Approaches to Managing Osteoarthritis in Multiple Joint Sites: A Systematic Review. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2016;17:266.
4. Geenen R et al. EULAR Recommendations for the Health Professional's Approach to Pain Management in Inflammatory Arthritis and Osteoarthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 2018;77(6):797-807.
5. Stukstette MJ et al. No Evidence for the Effectiveness of a Multidisciplinary Group Based Treatment Program in Patients With Osteoarthritis of Hands on the Short Term; Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2013;21:901-910.
6. Persson M et al. Predicting Response to Topical Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Osteoarthritis: An Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Rheumatology 2020 Apr 10; doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keaa113.
7. Blanco FJ et al. Predictive Modeling of Therapeutic Response to Chondroitin sulfate/glucosamine Hydrochloride in Knee Osteoarthritis. Ther Adv Chronic Dis 2019 Aug 29; doi: 10.1177/2040622319870013.
8. Riddle DL et al. The Incident Tibiofemoral Osteoarthritis With Rapid Progression Phenotype: Development and Validation of a Prognostic Prediction Rule. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2016;24(12):2100-2107
9. Teirlinck CH et al. Prognostic Factors for Progression of Osteoarthritis of the Hip: A Systematic Review. Arthritis Res Ther 2019;21(1):192.
10. Widera P et al. Multi-classifier Prediction of Knee Osteoarthritis Progression From Incomplete Imbalanced Longitudinal Data. Sci Rep 2020;10(1):8427.
11. Dockerty T et al. Why Don't Patients Take Their Analgesics? A Meta-Ethnography Assessing the Perceptions of Medication Adherence in Patients With Osteoarthritis. Rheumatol Int 2016;36(5):731-739.
12. Laba T-L et al. Patient Preferences for Adherence to Treatment for Osteoarthritis: The MEdication Decisions in Osteoarthritis Study (MEDOS). BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2013;14:160.
13. Kraus VB, Karsdal MA. Osteoarthritis: Current Molecular Biomarkers and the Way Forward. Calcif Tissue Int 2020 May 4 [Online ahead of print]; doi: 10.1007/s00223-020-00701-7.
14. Halilaj E et al. Modeling and Predicting Osteoarthritis Progression: Data From the Osteoarthritis Initiative. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2018;26(12):1643-1650.
15. Edwards RR et al. Variability in Conditioned Pain Modulation Predicts Response to NSAID Treatment in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2016;17:284.
16. Karsdal MA et al. Osteoarthritis – a Case for Personalized Health Care? Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2014;22(1):7-16.
17. Dobsen F et al. The OARSI Recommended Performance-based Tests to Assess Physical Function in People Diagnosed With Hip or Knee Osteoarthritis. 2013.
18. Dobson F et al. Measurement Properties of Performance-Based Measures to Assess Physical Function in Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2012;20(12): 1548-1562.
19. Hawker G. International Association for the Study of Pain Joint fact sheet. 2016.  
20. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. 2017 Osteoarthritis: Function & Pain Assessment Measure Methodology Report. 2017.
21. Garver MJ et al. Integrating Lifestyle Approaches Into Osteoarthritis Care. J Multidiscip Healthc 2015;8:409-418.
22. Araujo ILA et al. Quality of Life and Functional Independence in Patients With Osteoarthritis of the Knee. Knee Surg Relat Res 2016;28(3):219-224.

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