Tufts researchers study new method of arthritis diagnosis

Members of the Li Zeng Lab at the Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, in collaboration with Umar Mahmood’s lab at Massachusetts General Hospital, have been researching a new method of arthritis diagnosis for the past two years.

According to Li Zeng, associate professor in the department of integrative physiology and pathobiology at TUSM, this research primarily focuses on cartilage and its role in arthritis.

“The Zeng laboratory studies the mechanisms of cartilage tissue formation and degeneration,” Zeng told the Daily in an email.

Zeng explained that this research has led to a proposed new method of arthritis detection using newly developed imaging processes in an effort to detect osteoarthritis before the disease has a chance to progress to its more serious latter stage. She noted that 27 million Americans currently suffer from osteoarthritis and that earlier detection of the malady would be of significant benefit.

“Earlier diagnosis could lead to earlier treatment, reducing the physical, psychological and financial burden of the disease,” Zeng said.

Averi Leahy, an MD/PhD student at TUSM and the Sackler School, added that the imaging process will utilize a fluorescent imaging probe that will minimize the invasiveness of the treatment.

Zeng explained that the research carried out by her lab has been innovative especially in its exploration of the properties of the type of florescent imaging used: near-infrared fluorescence.

“The study is the first to demonstrate that near-infrared fluorescence -- a specific type of light invisible to the human eye but possible to see with optical imaging -- can be used to detect osteoarthritis changes over time,” she said.

Leahy explained that this infrared fluorescent probe was tested successfully on male mice; it was used to detect the progression of osteoarthritis in the animals.

“In this case, the ‘probe’ was a harmless fluorescent molecule that detected enzymatic activity leading to cartilage loss in the joint, a key characteristic of osteoarthritis,” Leahy told the Daily in an email.

As for possible future medical applications of this research, Leahy explained that the research is still only in its early stages. She said that although the diagnosis method has been successfully used on mice, it is still uncertain whether the method would be useful for human diagnosis.

“We hope that the work contributes to earlier diagnosis of osteoarthritis,” she said. “The study findings, when developed, might also contribute to analyzing the effectiveness of osteoarthritis treatments.”

According to Zeng, future research will include attempting to use the fluorescent probe for later, more advanced stages of osteoarthritis. Zeng hopes that the probe can be used as part of the treatment process as well as for diagnosis.

“Down the road, we hope to use the probe to screen for possible treatment options for osteoarthritis, or even help develop treatments for humans and animals (some dogs are prone to osteoarthritis),” she said.