Medicine Rheumatology News Archive Featured in the Media JeffNEWS

Sergio A. Jimenez, M.D., director, Division of Rheumatology at Thomas Jefferson University, will be honored with the Osteoarthritis Research Society International’s (OARSI) Basic Science Award for 2005. 

The award is to be presented at the 10th OARSI World Congress on Thursday, Dec. 8, at the Marriott Copley Place, Boston.  Dr. Jimenez will address his peers at the meeting on his latest research.

Dr. Jimenez, who is also the Dorrance H. Hamilton Professor of Medicine, is a leader in the field of osteoarthritis, which affects an estimated 16 million Americans.  He will be honored by OARSI for his important contributions to osteoarthritis research over the last 30 years, particularly for the study of the role of gene mutations in osteoarthritis and the regulation of cartilage gene expression by inflammatory cytokines. 

Supported by a National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) Program Project Grant, under Dr. Jimenez’s direction, an interdisciplinary team of Jefferson researchers demonstrated for the first time that certain gene mutations can cause osteoarthritis in families.  This program project has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 1988 to investigate the genetic causes of osteoarthritis, leading to better prevention methods and therapies. 

Dr. Jimenez is professor of Medicine and Molecular Biology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. 

For information on OARSI, visit www.oarsi.org.  To make an appointment with a Jefferson physician, call 1-800-JEFF-NOW.