The University of Eastern Finland will launch a European Research Council Proof of Concept project to analyse the innovation and commercial potential of an osteoarthritis algorithm developed at UEF.
Osteoarthritis is a common joint disease affecting over 40 million Europeans. The most common consequences of osteoarthritis are pain, disability and social isolation. What is alarming, the number of patients will increase by 50% in developed countries during the next 20 years.
The algorithm developed at UEF has been shown to be able to predict the progression of osteoarthritis for overweight subjects. The ultimate aim is that when the algorithm is employed in clinical use, preventive and personalised treatments can be started before clinically significant symptoms are observed. This marks a major breakthrough in improving the life quality of osteoarthritis patients and patients prone to osteoarthritis. When implemented in clinical use, the algorithm is expected to lead to longer working careers and lesser absence from work, and will result in subsequently increased productivity. Moreover, the patients are expected to live longer due to reduced disability and social isolation.
The ALGOA project will start in 2018 under the lead of Professor Rami Korhonen at the Department of Applied Physics. The European Research Council awarded a 150 000 euro ERC Proof of Concept Grant to the project from the Horizon 2020 programme. The project also includes industrial partners, hospitals and societies.
For further information, please contact:
Professor Rami Korhonen, tel. +358 40 355 3260, rami.korhonen(at)uef.fi
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