Recent discoveries (Fu, Vasylyev et al., Nature 2024) have identified the sodium channel Nav1.7 as a key driver of the degenerative cascade leading to joint injury in osteoarthritis (OA).

In animal models, blocking Nav1.7 has been shown to prevent joint degeneration, offering a promising therapeutic strategy. We are now focused on translating these findings into a treatment that can prevent joint damage in OA patients.