A new research from Stanford showed promising results tackling osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease) by inhibition of 15-hydroxy prostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH). They categorize this gene as gerozyme, meaning it increases its activity with age. The research shows that inhibition (down-regulation of signal) helps with rejuvenation of the cartilage. The hope is that in future, simple drug treatment could help with restoration of cartilage targeting elderly population, post-surgery patients or ACL-like injuries. This could be huge for osteoarthritis since cartilage rejuvenation is primarily done with stem cells. So far phase 1 clinical trials confirmed safety of drug administration in mice.

Stanford Medicine. “Stanford scientists found a way to regrow cartilage and stop arthritis.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 January 2026. link.

Mamta Singla, Yu Xin Wang, Elena Monti, Yudhishtar Bedi, Pranay Agarwal, Shiqi Su, Sara Ancel, Maiko Hermsmeier, Nitya Devisetti, Akshay Pandey, Mohsen Afshar Bakooshli, Adelaida R. Palla, Stuart Goodman, Helen M Blau, Nidhi Bhutani. Inhibition of 15-hydroxy prostaglandin dehydrogenase promotes cartilage regeneration. Science, 2025; DOI: 10.1126/science.adx6649