Josh Roth, PhD, an assistant professor in the UW Departments of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation and Mechanical Engineering, has received a five-year $630,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award to advance research on knee joint instability and its role in osteoarthritis.

While joint instability often limits mobility and accelerates the progression of osteoarthritis, the root cause of this instability is not well understood. Dr. Roth’s project aims to untangle the contributions of ligaments and muscles to joint stability, providing tools and insights that could lead to more personalized and effective treatments.

“Understanding joint instability is a tricky problem because the ligaments and muscles work together to stabilize the joint,” Roth says. “It’s really difficult using existing techniques to determine which structure is contributing to stability or which structure is deficient in someone who has an unstable joint.”

With support from his NSF CAREER Award, Dr. Roth will develop an active knee exoskeleton and novel measurement techniques to provide researchers with tools to help determine whether instability stems primarily from ligament damage, muscle weakness, or a combination of both. This information could help clinicians better tailor treatment strategies, from rehabilitation programs to surgical interventions.

“Many patients, especially those with severe osteoarthritis, will require both surgical treatment and rehabilitation. Figuring out how ligaments and muscles work together to stabilize the knee will inform the surgery as well as the post-surgery rehabilitation to really help an individual patient get back to their activities,” Roth says.

While the project focuses on knee osteoarthritis, the methods Dr. Roth is developing may also be applied to other joint conditions. A portion of the award will support educational initiatives, including undergraduate engineering design projects and entrepreneurship training that teaches students how to identify and address real-world healthcare needs.

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Read more about Dr. Roth’s NSF CAREER Award and his efforts to improve the diagnosis and treatment of osteoarthritis on the UW College of Engineering website.

The NSF CAREER Award is the foundation’s premier award for early-career faculty. It recognizes researchers who demonstrate the potential to serve as academic role models through outstanding research and education.