UCLA, Duke University, and Boston Children's Hospital are working under the ARPA-H NITRO program to develop a regenerative injectable therapy that heals bone and cartilage — moving osteoarthritis care from symptom management to true joint repair.
Osteoarthritis affects 32.5 million people in the United States. There is no cure. The BudNextGen project sets out to change that.
Our team is treating the joint as a single living organ — looking for biologics that can heal cartilage and bone together, rather than managing pain or replacing the joint entirely. The goal is a therapy that is not only effective, but accessible and affordable to anyone who needs it.
The work is part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health's NITRO program, which gives multidisciplinary teams an unusually short runway — five years from concept to a Phase 1 clinical trial. UCLA leads the clinical trial portion of this collaboration, drawing on the diverse patient population, clinical infrastructure, and translational research environment of UCLA Health and the David Geffen School of Medicine.
Adults living with mild-to-moderate osteoarthritis of the knee. Specific eligibility criteria will be defined by the study protocol and reviewed with each participant during screening.
A single injection of the investigational regenerative therapy, delivered at UCLA. No surgery is required as part of the trial.
Six months of follow-up visits with the study team, including pain outcome assessments and imaging, to track how the joint responds over time.
The trial is centralized at UCLA, with referral partnerships across UC Health and community clinics serving populations historically underrepresented in osteoarthritis research.
If we develop a viable therapy through NITRO, it has the potential to impact millions of people. The opportunity of a lifetime.Thomas J. Kremen, MD · Orthopaedic Surgeon, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Leads the clinical trial. Brings together orthopaedic surgery, developmental biology, and translational research within walking distance — a structural advantage for moving from bench to bedside.
Contributes biomedical research and biomaterials expertise to the regenerative therapy development effort.
Brings developmental biology and tissue regeneration research grounded in pediatric and translational science.
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Submitting this form expresses interest in receiving updates only. It is not an enrollment in the clinical trial. Eligibility, screening, and enrollment will be conducted by the UCLA study team under IRB-approved procedures once the trial opens.