Overview
Virginia Byers Kraus, MD, PhD, is the Mary Bernheim Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Professor of Pathology and a faculty member of the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute in the Duke University School of Medicine. She is a practicing Rheumatologist with over 30 years’ experience in translational musculoskeletal research focusing on osteoarthritis, the most common of all arthritides. She trained at Brown University (ScB 1979), Duke University (MD 1982, PhD 1993) and the Duke University School of Medicine (Residency in Internal Medicine and Fellowship in Rheumatology). Her career has focused on elucidating osteoarthritis pathogenesis and translational research into the discovery and validation of biomarkers for early osteoarthritis detection, prediction of progression, monitoring of disease status, and facilitation of therapeutic developments. She is co-PI of the Foundation for NIH Biomarkers Consortium Osteoarthritis project. Trained as a molecular biologist and a Rheumatologist, she endeavors to study disease from bedside to bench.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
CSPG4+ extracellular vesicles carry fibronectin and interleukin-11 and reflect radiographic severity in knee osteoarthritis.
Journal Article Osteoarthr Cartil Open · June 2026 OBJECTIVES: To evaluate chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4)+ plasma extracellular vesicles (EVs) as a novel biomarker for knee osteoarthritis (OA) severity across independent study cohorts. METHODS: Radiographic and symptomatic OA severity were eval ... Full text Link to item CitePreventing osteoarthritis after anterior cruciate ligament injury: The case for targeting pre-osteoarthritis illness.
Journal Article Osteoarthritis Cartilage · April 2026 Full text Link to item CiteSelect Small Non-Coding RNAs Are Determinants of Survival in Older Adults.
Journal Article Aging Cell · March 2026 To investigate the relevance of small RNAs to human longevity, we pursued three goals: (a) to validate epigenetic (small RNA) factors underlying survival of older adults, (b) to develop and validate prediction models of survival for potential clinical appl ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
Investigating Senolytic Properties in Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Metformin in COPD Exacerbations (INSPIRE-COPD-E).
ResearchAdvisor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2030Biomarkers to Advance Clinical Phenotypes of Low Back Pain (BACk)
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases · 2023 - 2028Biopsychosocial Influence on Shoulder Pain
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases · 2023 - 2028View All Grants