Penn Researchers Awarded $3.2 Million For Musculoskeletal Disorders Center

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Penn Researchers Awarded $3.2 Million For Musculoskeletal Disorders

Center

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=40714

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

have been awarded a five-year, $3.2 million grant from the National

Institutes of Health to create the Penn Center for Musculoskeletal

Disorders, one of five such Centers nationally. The Center aims to

enhance and advance the research productivity of investigators in the

broad topic of musculoskeletal tissue injury and repair. Based in

Penn's Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, the Center will support

three critical, innovative research Cores to enhance musculoskeletal

research. Additionally, the Center will provide a pilot and

feasibility internal grant program, seminars, and other educational

programs for researchers.

Previously there had been no central infrastructure for

musculoskeletal researchers, despite the fact that musculoskeletal

disorders have a devastating effect on quality-of-life for both old

and young individuals, with 28,000,000 Americans reporting

musculoskeletal injuries each year. " Musculoskeletal disorders affect

everyone on some level, " says Louis J. Soslowsky, PhD, Professor and

Vice Chair for Research for the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and

the Director of the new Penn Center for Musculoskeletal

Disorders. " Carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator cuff injuries,

osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and low back pain are just a few of the

injuries and disorders that affect a large portion of the population.

Musculoskeletal disorders dictate whether, and for how long a person

can continue working at their job and/or when it's necessary to begin

home healthcare or nursing home care when these disorders prevent an

individual from taking care of themselves in their own homes.

Additionally, these problems significantly impair the ability to play

sports, either recreationally or competitively. The Center will bring

together the best and brightest at Penn to further our research and

understanding of these debilitating afflictions. "

Creation of the Center will provide funds for three cores for

musculoskeletal researchers:

1. The Microarray Core, which will build on the School of Medicine's

Core and allow investigation of musculoskeletal disorders on the

genetic level through RNA transcript profiling. This will assist in

identifying early markers for injury and treatments.

2. The Structure-Function Biomechanics Core, which will develop and

utilize a wide range of functional, mechanical, and structural assays

of musculoskeletal tissue injury and repair.

3. The Small Animal Imaging Core, which will develop and use

extensive imaging techniques to detect, evaluate, and treat problems

of musculoskeletal injury and repair. The cutting-edge technologies

of these research cores will provide investigators with the tools

they need to fundamentally advance their research.

" The purpose of the Center is to support and foster collaborations

between programs already in place, as well as help jump start

interactions, " continued Soslowsky. " We will be able to support

whatever the investigator is already interested in, allowing people

to work in their strengths and improve their own programs through new

and enhanced opportunities. Also, pilot grant funding will seed new

investigations and also provide funding for established investigators

who have an interest in moving to musculoskeletal research. "

In addition to the significant participation of faculty within the

School of Medicine, investigators from the Schools of Veterinary

Medicine, Dental Medicine, Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Arts

and Sciences will participate as well.

Further information on this new Center can be found at:

http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/orl/ccmd