EurekAlert: researchers have found that joints whose cartilage lacks a specific type of collagen will develop osteoarthritis - the so-called 'wear-and-tear' form of the disease - at a greatly accelerated rate. The results of their experiments with mice provide new insights that could lead to potential treatments for a disease that afflicts more than 40 million Americans." This is early stage research, in the sense that a link has been identified and mechanisms to explain it proposed - but it's way to go from here to deploy working regenerative medicine for this form of arthritis. "While the mechanism behind the accelerated development of osteoarthritis is not yet clear, it suggests that the lack of type VI collagen negatively impacts the ability of the cartilage to respond properly to the mechanical stresses and pressures on the joint."

Link: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-02/dumc-los021505.php