Report on the Molecular Approaches to Osteoarthritis Symposium, Imperial College London, UK, 18–20 April 2004

The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology Symposium ‘Molecular Approaches to Osteoarthritis’ was held at Imperial College London on 18–20 April 2004. It encompassed current research into the molecular processes in cartilage underlying the initiation and progression of osteoarthritis (OA). The symposium also examined the potential impact on the field of new methodologies such as transcriptional profiling and proteomics, and the scope for gaining insights from genetic analysis of OA and from studying mutations that affect cartilage structure.