Ritchie Timmermans | 07-11-2023 | Application of 3D human in vitro osteoarthritic chondrocyte models to study CCN4/WISP1 and Wnt signaling This thesis explores the role of CCN4/WISP1 and Wnt signaling in osteoarthritis (OA) using advanced 3D human in vitro chondrocyte models. OA is characterized by cartilage degeneration and altered chondrocyte behavior, which is not [...]

Margo Tuerlings | 27-09-2023 | The bone and cartilage interplay in osteoarthritis: key to effective treatment strategy Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent age-related joint disease, determined by diverse changes in pathways maintaining articular cartilage and subchondral bone. This thesis aimed to identify and study gene networks driving interacting etiopathophysiological OA processes in cartilage and [...]

Alejandro Rodríguez Ruiz | 22-10-2022 | Osteoprotegerin: a double-edged sword in osteoarthritis development To advance development of effective disease modifying OA treatments, a better understanding of its pathophysiological mechanisms is necessary. By studyinga family with early onset OA and high cartilage mineralization, a likely causal mutation in the TNF receptor superfamily member 11b (TNFRSF11B) [...]

Evelyn Houtman | 22-10-2022 | Aged human osteochondral explants as biomimetic osteoarthritis model: towards a druggable target in osteoarthritis This thesis aims to increase the understanding of human osteoarthritis pathophysiology by developing reliable biomimetic ex vivo human osteochondral explant models and focussing on the role of osteoarthritis-relevant triggers (mechanical stress) and interacting genetic factors [...]

Marcella van Hoolwerff | 06-09-2022 | Dissecting cellular function of fibronectin in osteoarthritic cartilage The aim of this thesis was to combine transcriptomics, genetics and human disease modelling to obtain further insight into molecular processes underlying osteoarthritis. More specifically, we aimed to elucidate the role of long noncoding RNAs expression changes as aberrant epigenetic [...]