NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre is partnering on a new international, EU-backed initiative using AI and the latest big data technologies to improve care and research for people living with Osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, affecting millions of people worldwide. This pioneering international large-scale public-private partnership, PROBE, (Patient Relevant Osteoarthritis endpoints using Big data Evaluation) is aiming to revolutionise osteoarthritis research, diagnosis and treatment.
Professor Philip Conaghan, NIHR Leeds BRC Director and co-lead for the OA research workstream is supporting this initiative as an expert in the field of osteoarthritis and an experienced clinical triallist. He will be leading PROBE’s work package examining how to best improve trial designs for the condition.
Prof Conaghan said: “Osteoarthritis is massively increasing with ageing populations, and we have few effective therapies. We have none that modify joint structural damage. Part of the problem has been not knowing how to do trials within a feasible timeframe of one to two years, where we can measure endpoints that matter to patients like joint replacements.”
“By working with high-level international partners and applying the latest technologies, I am optimistic that PROBE will significantly advance not only the way we discover new treatments, but also how those treatments improve care and outcomes for people living with osteoarthritis.”
PROBE will use patient-driven data, advanced predictive models and next-generation clinical trial designs to transform the way osteoarthritis healthcare is delivered.
This will be directed at efforts including developing better outcomes for patients undergoing joint replacement due to the condition. It will also tackle the key limitations in osteoarthritis clinical research and care, including disease heterogeneity, fragmented datasets, and outdated trial methodologies.
Using secure learning infrastructure while enabling large-scale AI-driven analyses, PROBE will leverage data from over 70 million individuals across multiple cohorts and real-world registries to deliver osteoarthritis care for the future.
Commencing in December 2025 and running for 60 months, PROBE unites 38 partners from academia, industry, patient organisations, regulatory bodies, and healthcare professionals across Europe and beyond.
The project is jointly led by Erasmus MC Medical University Center and Novartis, and embodies a strong public-private commitment to transforming evidence-based osteoarthritis research and patient care on a global scale.