ARTHROLAB

ArthroLab Inc., headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, was incorporated in May 1994 by Doctors Jean-Pierre Pelletier and Johanne Martel-Pelletier. The company's initial objective was to perform preclinical (in vitro and in vivo) and clinical trials on a contractual basis for pharmaceutical companies engaged in the development of new agents for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Today, ArthroLab seeks to continuously create innovative assessment methodologies in order to provide clients with maximum quality and efficiency. The founders of ArthroLab, Doctors Jean-Pierre Pelletier and Johanne Martel-Pelletier, have been instrumental in the development of novel approaches to the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis.

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OSTEOARTHRITIS

Illustrations from: Medical Education in Osteoarthritis, EURO-ALLIANCE.

Doctors Jean-Pierre Pelletier and Johanne Martel-Pelletier's
Contribution to Osteoarthritis

Through their work over the years, Doctors Jean-Pierre Pelletier and Johanne Martel-Pelletier have made significant contributions to expand the scientific knowledge of osteoarthritis and the understanding of its pathophysiological mechanisms. They have developed new and original concepts in the field of osteoarthritis, which have prompted therapies that target not only the consequences of this illness, but also the causes. They have explored the roles of and links between inflammation, cytokines, metalloproteinases, and growth factors in osteoarthritic tissue degradation.

They were pioneers in defining proteolytic enzymes, such as the metalloproteinases, as predominant elements in the pathophysiology of the disease, the targeting of which has opened the door to the concept of metalloproteinase inhibitors as therapeutic approaches. Their hypothesis regarding an inflammatory component in the degenerative process of this disease as well as their demonstration of the predominant role of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1ß and of the protective effect of an inhibitor of its receptor were also turning points in the concept of the pathology of osteoarthritis. Furthermore, they identified the roles of other proinflammatory cytokines in osteoarthritic articular structures, and delineated the important role played by the subchondral bone in the pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease, as well as its implication in joint destruction. These new concepts have been instrumental in improving our ability to understand and treat the illness and have prompted the identification of new therapeutic targets. The research of Drs Jean-Pierre Pelletier and Johanne Martel-Pelletier has facilitated the implementation of pharmaceutical and biotechnological strategies to develop new treatment approaches that may revolutionize the therapeutic approach to osteoarthritis.