Knee osteoarthritis is a progressive joint disease that leads to cartilage degradation, chronic pain, reduced mobility and, in advanced cases, joint replacement.

Current standard imaging methods primarily identify established structural changes, while early biochemical and microstructural alterations of cartilage may occur much earlier, when the disease process may still be modifiable.

The aim of this project is to develop an integrated approach to the early diagnosis, monitoring and personalized treatment of knee osteoarthritis.

The diagnostic component is based on advanced quantitative MRI techniques, including T1 mapping, dGEMRIC, T2 mapping, T1ρ, UTE and Dixon, enabling assessment of not only cartilage morphology but also its structural and biochemical properties.

A key research direction is the assessment of contrast-agent uptake kinetics in cartilage and determination of optimal MRI acquisition timing for objective evaluation of cartilage condition. Quantitative MRI parameters will be correlated with clinical data and, where available, arthroscopic findings.

The next stage of the project will focus on integrating advanced diagnostics with regenerative approaches for cartilage repair, including the development and application of biomaterials and polymer-based constructs for the treatment of focal cartilage defects.

The project brings together quantitative MRI, cartilage biomarkers, clinical diagnostics and regenerative medicine into an integrated platform for personalized management of osteoarthritis.

The expected outcome is a reproducible diagnostic protocol for early detection and monitoring of osteoarthritis, objective biomarkers for treatment response, and a technological foundation for personalized treatment selection.

In the long term, the platform can be expanded to other joints and integrated with artificial intelligence for automated quantitative MRI analysis and individualized prediction of disease progression.

vir.group/p/personalized-diagn