Research Programs
The strengths of musculoskeletal research at the University of Minnesota are in the areas of basic discovery, mechanisms of musculoskeletal disease in animal models and outcomes-based research of standard clinical treatments. These strengths are found in the four primary focus groups:
The focus groups allow for and encourage cross-disciplinary interactions between molecular biologists, (stem) cell biologists, orthopaedic surgeons, veterinary researchers and bioengineers. The primary interests of each faculty member guided his/her placement into the groups described below; however, many faculty members make significant contributions to more than one focus group.
Training Faculty for the University of Minnesota
Musculoskeletal Biology Training Program
| Musculoskeletal Cancer Biology and Therapeutics
|
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Biology |
| 1. Denis R. Clohisy, M.D.* |
1. Cathy S. Carlson, D.V.M., Ph.D.* |
| 2. Michael Garwood, Ph.D. |
4. Joan Bechtold, Ph.D. |
| 3. David Largaespada, Ph.D. |
5. Robert LaPrade, M.D., Ph.D. |
| 4. Jaime Modiano, DVM, Ph.D. |
4. Paula Ludewig, Ph.D. |
| |
5. David Nuckley, Ph.D. |
| |
6. G. Elizabeth Pluhar, D.V.M., Ph.D. |
| |
|
| Musculoskeletal Development |
Epidemiology and Clinical Outcomes |
| 1. Jonathan Slack, Ph.D.* |
1. Marc Swiontkowski, M.D.* |
| 2. Raj Gopalakrishnan, DDS, Ph.D. |
2. Julie Ross, Ph.D. |
| 3. Anna Petryk, MD |
3. Logan Spector, Ph.D. |
| 4. Lincoln Potter |
|
| 5. Michel Sanders |
|
A. Musculoskeletal Cancer Biology and Therapeutics
(D.R. Clohisy,* M. Garwood, D. Largaespada, J. Modiano)
The collective focus this group is to understand the etiology, progression and clinical sequelae of musculoskeletal cancers and to develop new therapies for treatment and prevention. Specific areas of research include the cellular mechanisms regulating osteolysis in cancer; bone cancer-associated pain and tumor metastasis to bone; animal models of sarcoma development; clinical epidemiology research in osteosarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma; and the development of new techniques in MR imaging and oncology.
[back to top]
B. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Biology Group
(C. Carlson,* J. Bechtold, R. LaPrade, P. Ludewig, D. Nuckley, G.E. Pluhar)
This group has a common interest in understanding the etiology and treatments of osteoarthritis. Specific areas of research include the development and validation of animal models of osteoarthritis; knee joint biomechanics and surgical reconstruction; bone fracture repair; biomechanics of the shoulder joint; and the pathophysiology of degenerative osteoarthritis of the spine.
[back to top]
C. Musculoskeletal Development Group
(J. Slack*, R. Gopalakrishnan, A. Petryk, L. Potter, M. Sanders)
This group is unified by the common interest of understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate skeletal development, maturation, and differentiation. Specific areas of research include osteoblast and osteoclast biology and the role of these cells in the physiologic and pathophysiologic formation of the skeleton; mechanisms involved in limb regeneration in xenopus tadpoles; skeletal aberrations occurring in dwarfism; and estrogen signal transduction cascades in bone metabolism and cancer biology.
[back to top]
D. Epidemiology and Clinical Outcomes Research Group
(M. Swiontkowski*, J. Ross, L. Spector)
This group of investigators applies state-of-the-art epidemiologic and clinical outcomes research methodologies to critically evaluate a wide variety of musculoskeletal treatments. This group has multiple strengths but the two most important are their access to large patient/sample populations through cooperative multi-institutional trials and their international reputation in orthopaedic-based clinical outcomes research. Specific areas of research include the assessment of functional outcomes for the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions and the etiology and behavior of musculoskeletal cancers.
[back to top]
|
