A third Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF)/AAOS Injectable Orthobiologics of Knee Osteoarthritis Grant was awarded in August 2023 to Thomas Kremen, MD, FAAOS, of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Kremen, who is an orthopaedic surgeon and an assistant professor of orthopaedics at UCLA, is principal investigator for the study “Functional Impact of Intra-Articular ALK1-Fc Therapy in Osteoarthritis.”

This is Dr. Kremen’s third OREF grant. He received a New Investigator Grant in 2015 and a Prospective Clinical Research Award in 2019, the latter of which also addressed osteoarthritis. Dr. Kremen’s interest in the topic is driven in part by the prevalence of osteoarthritis. As he noted, “It’s one of those problems that affects everyone. [All orthopaedic surgeons from] hand, tumor, spine, sports medicine [specialists treat it]. Everybody develops joint degeneration. And it’s a problem everywhere in the body at multiple ages.”

The $50,000 grant is made possible through a strategic partnership between OREF and AAOS, which aims to help narrow the gap between clinical research funding and prioritized clinical research needs in musculoskeletal care, including orthobiologics. The partnership identifies areas of clinical research for which there is a need for increased targeted funding to evaluate the effectiveness of various orthopaedic interventions and improve the quality of care for patients. The recipient of the fourth grant funded through this partnership will be announced in May.

Funding for this grant was made possible through the OREF/AAOS Clinical Research Gaps Fund with contributions from AAOS and individual donors.

For more information about AAOS’ investment in orthobiologics, visit aaos.org/quality. Donors interested in earmarking funds to further enable AAOS-prioritized clinical research needs within musculoskeletal healthcare may contribute to the OREF/AAOS Clinical Research Gaps Fund. Visit the OREF booth in the Moscone South Lobby or go oref.org/aaoscpg to make a secure online donation.