Medical School
Twin Cities
Musculoskeletal problems are one of the leading reasons for physician visits each year. As such, diseases such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis impart a major social and economic burden and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This burden will grow as the population ages, unless treatment modalities are expanded. The ultimate goal of this research is to provide a better understanding of skeletal generation and degeneration, and to identify new therapeutic approaches.
This research focuses on how musculoskeletal tissues (such as bone and cartilage) are generated. The group utilizes a combination of genetics, cell and molecular biology, and biochemistry, and employ a variety of preclinical models of disease such as surgical induction of joint instability and cortical bone defects to recapitulate disease processes. In addition, they are employing single cell RNA-seq to identify how subsets of bone cell progenitors change during degeneration. Through these combined approaches, the researchers hope to identify new targets to slow degeneration and promote regeneration of skeletal tissues.