Musculoskeletal disorders such as arthritis, back pain and osteoporosis have become such a widespread problem in our ageing society that the period 2000-2010 was designated “The Bone and Joint Decade” in order to raise awareness and encourage increased research funding. Academic staff in the Centre for Comparative and Clinical Anatomy, and the Matrix Biology Research Group in Langford comprise the Musculoskeletal Research Group. They have established collaborative links with colleagues in the Schools of Archaeology and Anthropology, Veterinary Science, Chemistry, Physiology and Pharmacology, and Cellular and Molecular Medicine. Clinical collaborators work in the Faculty of Clinical Medicine and Dentistry, and at Frenchay and Southmead hospitals in Bristol.
Major research topics include:
• Osteoarthritis: mechanisms of cartilage damage; role of chondrocyte apoptosis in initiation and progression of osteoarthritis; biochemical mechanisms in model systems; biomarkers for investigation of pathogenesis and progression of knee osteoarthritis; role of local mechanical factors in quadrupedal joint injury and arthritis; omega-3 fatty acids in prevention and alleviation;
• Osteoporosis: effects of sex hormones on bone mass and architecture; role of omega-3 fatty acids in prevention in humans and animals; local mechanical factors in vertebral deformity; bone “creep”; treatment of vertebral deformity using cement augmentation techniques (vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty);
• Animal welfare: Causes and remedies of musculoskeletal diseases in companion and farm animals, such as ligament degeneration in dogs, lameness in cattle and bone breakage in laying hens and broilers.
• Comparative locomotion: general principles of bipedal and quadrupedal locomotion, including inverse dynamics analysis of gait using multiple infrared cameras and force platforms.
• Ageing: Mechanisms relating to cellular and extracellular matrix ageing and involvement in disease and degeneration.
• Tissue repair and regeneration: Studies of normal and impaired wound healing, and tissue engineering in repair of musculoskeletal tissues.
A wide range of techniques are used, including biochemistry, tissue culture, molecular biology, immunohistochemistry, mechanical testing of biological tissues and surgical implants, electromyography, and three-dimensional gait analysis.
Further details can be found at http://www.bris.ac.uk/anatomy/research/
