ADVANCE Chief Investigator: Group Captain Prof Alex Bennett.
Principal Investigator: Associate Prof Stefan Kluzek
Study Team Members: Prof Ana Valdes
Dr Joanne Stocks
Major Dr Oliver O’Sullivan
The ADVANCE study is a 20-year cohort study following 600 combat casualties and 600 matched non-exposed participants who are matched by age service length, rank deployment and combat role.
Osteoarthritis can be more common both in military people and in people who have been exposed to trauma and the Bio-Mil-OA study uses X-rays and blood tests from ADVANCE participants to investigate biomarkers and osteoarthritis.
The aim is to understand how changes in X-rays and blood tests can help us understand the progression of osteoarthritis and see if any of the markers can predict joint changes. We hope to find specific markers in blood that could be used to identify changes in the joints before they become an issue.
Start Date: October 2021
Oliver O’Sullivan, Fearghal P Behan, Russell J Coppack, Joanne Stocks, Stefan Kluzek, Ana M Valdes, Alexander N Bennett. Osteoarthritis in the UK Armed Forces: a review of its impact, treatment and future research BMJ Mil Health Published Online First: 25 July 2023 doi:10.1136/military-2023-002390 [PDF]
Oliver O’Sullivan, Peter Ladlow, Kat Steiner, Dahria Kuyser, Omaima Ali, Joanne Stocks, Ana M Valdes, Alexander N Bennett, Stefan Kluzek. Knee MRI biomarkers associated with structural, functional and symptomatic changes at least a year from ACL injury-A systematic review Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Open, Volume 5, Issue 3, 2023. doi.org/10.1016/j.ocarto.2023.100385 [PDF]
Oliver O’Sullivan, Peter Ladlow, Kat Steiner, Charles Hillman, Joanne Stocks, Alexander N Bennett, Ana M Valdes, Stefan Kluzek. Current status of catabolic, anabolic and inflammatory biomarkers associated with structural and symptomatic changes in the chronic phase of post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis–a systematic review Volume 5, Issue 4, December 2023, 100412 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocarto.2023.100412 [PDF]