To enhance understanding of the mechanisms of osteoarthritis (OA) and to allow development of drugs to prevent or slow down cartilage degeneration there is a critical need for approaches that enable probing of tissues at molecular through cellular to tissue-levels. We will adapt for the first-time hyperspectral imaging (HSI) in the near-infrared, mid-infrared, and terahertz spectral ranges for detailed understanding of molecular changes in cell micro(nano)-environment and depth-wise tissue structure at the earliest stages of cartilage degeneration. We aim to: 1. develop hyperspectral imaging biomarkers for assessing cartilage integrity; 2. provide knowledge on degenerative changes in cell micro(nano)-environment using HSI; 3. apply HSI to elucidate mechanisms of OA. The expected outcomes can lead to development of novel highly sensitive biomarkers of OA. This could eventually lead to significantly accelerated development of pharmacological therapies for treatment and prevention of OA.

2023

2027