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, veterinarians and bioengineers. The primary interests of each faculty member guided their 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
| Bone Cancer Biology and Therapies
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Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Development |
| 1. Denis R. Clohisy, M.D. |
1. Cathy S. Carlson, D.V.M., Ph.D. |
| 2. Patrick W. Mantyh, Ph.D. |
2. Jack Lewis, Ph.D. |
| 3. James B. McCarthy, Ph.D. |
3. Catherine Verfaillie, M.D. |
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4. Joan Bechtold, Ph.D. |
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5. Robert LaPrade, M.D., Ph.D. |
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6. G. Elizabeth Pluhar, D.V.M., Ph.D. |
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7. Lincoln Potter, Ph.D. |
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| Clinical Outcomes and Epidemiology |
Osteoblast Development and Maturation |
| 1. Marc Swiontkowski, M.D. |
1. Jennifer J. Westendorf, Ph.D. |
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2. Laura Mauro, Ph.D. |
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3. Catherine Verfaillie, M.D. |
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4. Michel Sanders, Ph.D |
A. Bone Cancer Biology and Therapies Group
(D.R. Clohisy, P.W. Mantyh, J.B. McCarthy)
The collective focus of this group is to understand the cellular mechanisms
regulating osteolysis in cancer, bone cancer-associated pain and tumor metastasis
to bone. The strength of this group is the productive interaction amongst the
Clohisy (Orthopaedic Surgery) and Mantyh (Preventive Sciences, Dental School)
laboratories. These investigators developed animal models to study cancer-associated
osteolysis and pain. Drs. Clohisy, Mantyh and McCarthy (Lab Medicine and Pathology)
are also now jointly studying the mechanisms by which the extracellular matrix
contributes to tumor growth in bone and in the generation of bone cancer pain.
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B. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Biology Group
(C. Carlson, J. Lewis, C. Verfaillie, J. Bechtold, R. LaPrade, G.E. Pluhar, L. Potter)
This is a highly collaborative group of investigators with a common interest in understanding the etiology and treatments of osteoarthritis. Dr. Carlson is interested in the morphological aspects of osteoarthritis and other orthopaedic diseases. She has characterized naturally occurring osteoarthritis in cynomolgus monkeys as a nonhuman primate model of this disease. Dr. Carlson has submitted grant applications and has joint publications with Laura Mauro, Jack Lewis, and Robert LaPrade.
Dr. Lewis is interested in the biomechanics of the knee joint and surgical
reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament and collaborates with Drs.
LaPrade and Bechtold on these studies. Dr. Lewis is also interested in the causes
of osteoarthritis and has designed an in vitro chondrocyte culture model to
study the relationship between tissue microstructure and macroscopic material
properties. Dr. Lewis and Westendorf are co-investigators on an Academic Health
Center grant to determine how specific molecular manipulations affect cartilage
tissue properties, such as strength and structure.
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C. Osteoblast Development and Maturation Group
(J. Westendorf, C. Verfaillie, L. Mauro, M. Sanders)
This group is unified by the common interest of understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate osteoblast development, maturation and differentiation, and subsequent bone development. Dr. Westendorf studies Runx2 (Cbfa1), which is transcription factor essential for osteoblast development and differentiation as well as maturation of hypertrophic chondrocytes. Dr. Mauro is interested in OST-PTP regulation during bone development. Dr. Verfaillie is the director of the Stem Cell Institute and has identified adult pluripotent progenitors cells from human and murine bone marrows. These cells are capable of differentiating into multiple mesenchymal lineages including osteoblasts, chondrocytes and adipocytes. Dr. Sanders studies estrogen signal transduction cascades in various physiological contexts, including bone metabolism & cancer biology.
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D. Orthopaedic Surgical Clinical Outcomes Research and Epidemiology Group
(M. Swiontkowski)
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 leadership, which is internationally renown in orthopaedic-based clinical outcomes research. Dr. Swiontkowski's research focuses around the assessment of functional outcomes for treatment of musculoskeletal conditions, particularly tibial fractures.
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