Log-in Sept. 2 for UArizona Health Sciences Lecture: ‘Stem Cell Therapy and Platelet-Rich Plasma for Osteoarthritis: Hope or Hype?’

TUCSON, Ariz. – “Stem Cell Therapy and Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) for Osteoarthritis: Hope or Hype?” a free livestream lecture open to the public, is scheduled Wednesday, Sept. 2, 6-7:15 p.m. The 75-minute talk by C. Kent Kwoh, MD, director, University of Arizona Arthritis Center at the UArizona Health Sciences, is free and open to the public and will include time for questions and answers.

Conservative estimates indicate more than 54 million adults and almost 300,00 children are suffering from arthrits or another type of rheumatic disease, according to the Arthritis Foundation. People of all ages, genders and races can – and do – have arthritis, making it the leading cause of disability in the United States. More than 100 types of arthritis and related conditions have been identified. Often referred to as “wear-and-tear” arthritis, osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and is characterized by deterioration of the cartilage that cushions bone joints. Osteoarthritis occurs most frequently in the hands, hips and knees.

Dr. Kwoh will discuss the use of stem cell therapy and PRP in the management of osteoarthritis, a topic that was the subject of a journal paper he authored last summer. After a brief overview of current management strategies, Dr. Kwoh will discuss the mechanisms in which PRP and stem cell therapy are thought to work and the variability of their preparation, which lacks a standardized protocol.

“It’s not a standard derivation. And we just want to alert people to the fact that there is some variability at this point,” Dr. Kwoh said.

As a board-certified rheumatologist who helped develop the recommended management guidelines for hip, hand and knee osteoarthritis, Dr. Kwoh will outline evidence supporting the current use of these two regenerative therapies and offer his views on their place as potential treatment in the future.

PLEASE NOTE: Prior registration is required. For more information or to register, please visit the UArizona Arthritis Center website, https://arthritis.arizona.edu/healthy-living/tucson-lecture-series or email livinghealthy@arthritis.arizona.edu.

This lecture is the inaugural fall 2020 address in the “Living Healthy With Arthritis” series of free monthly talks presented by the UArizona Arthritis Center and supported through the Susan and Saul Tobin Endowment for Research and Education in Rheumatology. The center is closely affiliated with the Division of Rheumatology, of which Dr. Kwoh is chief, in the Department of Medicine at the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson.

In addition, Dr. Kwoh is a professor of medicine and medical imaging and the Charles A.L. and Suzanne M. Stephens Endowed Chair in Rheumatology at UArizona. His undergraduate studies were in honors biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Illinois Hospitals and a rheumatology fellowship at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Before joining the UArizona faculty, Dr. Kwoh was clinical research director at the University of Pittsburgh Arthritis Institute and a professor in the Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, with appointments also in the Department of Epidemiology and Clinical and Translational Science Institute. He also served as Rheumatology Section chief in the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare Systems.

Dr. Kwoh’s major research interests are in outcome assessment and the examination of risk factors for development and progression of a broad spectrum of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. His current work focuses on the identification of biomarkers – most notably magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) biomarkers for the development and/or progression of knee osteoarthritis and the characterization of knee pain patterns in osteoarthritis. He also has a major interest in the reduction and elimination of disparities in the management of arthritis and musculoskeletal diseases.

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NOTE: Images available upon request.

About the University of Arizona Arthritis Center
The University of Arizona Arthritis Center, a Center of Excellence at the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson, is a research leader focused on identifying the causes of arthritis and developing improved technologies for diagnosing, measuring and treating the disease. It is directly affiliated with the college’s Division of Rheumatology, one of 14 divisions in the Department of Medicine — one of six original departments and the largest at the college. For more information: arthritis.arizona.edu (Follow us: Facebook).

About the University of Arizona College of Medicine –Tucson
The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson is shaping the future of medicine through state-of-the-art medical education programs, groundbreaking research and advancements in patient care in Arizona and beyond. Founded in 1967, the college boasts more than 50 years of innovation, ranking among the top medical schools in the nation for research and primary care. Through the university's partnership with Banner Health, one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country, the college is leading the way in academic medicine. For more information, visit medicine.arizona.edu (Follow us: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn).

About the University of Arizona Health Sciences
The University of Arizona Health Sciences is the statewide leader in biomedical research and health professions training. UArizona Health Sciences includes the Colleges of Medicine (Tucson and Phoenix), Nursing, Pharmacy, and the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, with main campus locations in Tucson and the Phoenix Biomedical Campus in downtown Phoenix. From these vantage points, Health Sciences reaches across the state of Arizona, the greater Southwest and around the world to provide next-generation education, research and outreach. A major economic engine, Health Sciences employs nearly 5,000 people, has approximately 4,000 students and 900 faculty members, and garners $200 million in research grants and contracts annually. For more information: uahs.arizona.edu (Follow us: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn | Instagram).