Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease affecting over 40 million Europeans. There is no cure for the disease. Thus, the most effective treatment for the disease would simply be prevention. That is currently problematic and proper preventive actions should be guided by personalized prediction of the disease progression.

The aim of the DEEPMECHANOKNEE project is to develop an accurate and fast method to predict the progression of knee osteoarthritis over time.

In the novel method, a multi-scale biomechanics and computational modelling, imaging, and clinical data are combined with a deep learning algorithm. Through simulations, the method can indicate (optimize) the best possible personalized treatment for a patient that could ultimately prevent or delay the progression of knee osteoarthritis. The treatment could be a changed lifestyle, tailored rehabilitation, or a specific surgical intervention. The socio-economic impact of this approach is expected to be significant.