The Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), a public-private
partnership between the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and
private industry that seeks to improve diagnosis and monitoring
of osteoarthritis (OA) and foster development of new treatments,
has released its first set of data. Making this information
available to researchers worldwide will expedite the pace of
scientific studies and identification of biological and
structural markers (biomarkers) for OA. Researchers can analyze
the data to form new hypotheses for further study of OA, which
is the major cause of activity limitation and disability in
older people. Images, including x rays and magnetic resonance
imaging scans, will also be available to researchers upon
request. All data are stored with an anonymous identification
number to protect the confidentiality of the participants'
information. "Since its inception, the OAI has been a premier
example of how industry, government, and academic sectors might
work together to add value to biomedical resea