Dr. Sharif’s main research area is Osteoarthritis (OA), the most prevalent of all forms of arthritis and one of the main cause of pain and disability worldwide. OA frequently affects the hip, knee, spine and finger joints. It is characterised by pain and stiffness of the affected joint and abnormal changes within major joint tissues such as cartilage and bone. Currently there is no cure or effective treatment for OA. His research is focussed in two main areas of unmet need in the OA field: (i) Early pathological changes in joint tissues and (ii) Development of novel and sensitive tools for detection of early changes in OA. Dr Sharif’s research is internationally recognized and has been funded by the NHS Executive R&D Directorate, Arthritis Research Campaign and a number of collaborative pharmaceutical companies over the last ten years.