The Osteoarthritis Initiative: A NIH Public–Private Partnership

Data are released on a regular basis to OAI online. As of April 2011, 1,911 users had registered for OAI Online from 83 countries, with over 7,975 datasets downloaded and 321 image sets distributed. Data are currently being released in a single bolus for the entire visit. Recent releases have included the 36-month questionnaire and exam data and images for the full cohort, as well as the 30-month questionnaire and exam data and images for a subset of the progression cohort. Clinical data and images from the 48-month visits should also have been released by the time this article is published. An increasing number of abstracts and papers are being produced based on the use of the OAI data and images (see www.oai.ucsf.edu/datarelease/Publications.asp). This groundbreaking study is expected to advance our understanding of how modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors are linked to the development and progression of knee osteoarthritis. These findings may in turn lead to improved strategies for disease prevention, identification of novel treatment targets, and ways to prevent disability in later life.