ABSTRACT

This chapter highlights recent advances in orthogenomics, the research and clinical science of applying genomics to care of patients with orthopedic conditions. It presents the scientific research findings on the genomics of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, followed by practice-ready, personalized prevention and treatment strategies using a patient's genomic map. Osteoarthritis is a multi-factorial, polygenic, chronic, degenerative joint disease that is a leading cause of disability in adult men and woman in populations around the world. When genomic medicine and genomic testing are used in the early stages of osteoarthritis or osteopenia, orthogenomics provides a unique opportunity to uncover the molecular mechanism(s) associated with the disease process in each individual in order to stratify patients that need more aggressive therapies, and more effectively address a patient's co-morbidities.