Skeletal Development, Repair and Regeneration – SDRR

Topics

• Mechanisms of musculoskeletal injuries and disorders including degenerative joint diseases (e.g., osteoarthritis, intervertebral disc degeneration, post-traumatic osteoarthritis, temporomandibular joint disorders), bone infection, fracture, trauma, and aging.
• Basic and clinical studies of calciotropic hormones and paracrine factors involved in bone and cartilage biology in humans and animal models, metabolic bone diseases [e.g., osteoporosis, osteopenia, osteogenesis imperfecta, Paget’s disease of bone, and chronic kidney disease (CKD) induced metabolic bone diseases (CKD-MBD), and diseases of mineral ion homeostasis associated with abnormalities of parathyroid hormone, Vitamin D, calcitonin and other hormonal and paracrine factors.
• Diseases of heterotopic ossification.
• Osteoimmunology; including osteoclast biology, impact of inflammatory disease on the skeleton such as rheumatoid arthritis, obesity, diabetes.
• Application of imaging technologies (e.g., MRI, QCT/ìCT, PET/CT, ultrasound) for structural characterization and disease prognostics of bone, cartilage, meniscus, intervertebral disc, temporomandibular joint disc, tendon, and ligament.
• In vitro and animal models of molecular pathogenesis and biology of osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma, assessing functional effects of primary tumors and metastasis to bone.
• Mechanobiology and biomechanics of bone and joints.
• Identification of biomarkers for bone and joint diseases.
• Biology and pathology of joint replacement including fixation, osseointegration, wear and loosening.
• Molecular mechanisms of joint pain.
• Impact of the microbiome and dysbiosis on skeletal structures and disease.
• Inter-organ crosstalk in skeletal homeostasis and disease.

Shared Interests and Overlaps

There are shared interests with Skeletal Structure Physiology and Disease [SSPD] in the investigation of bone, cartilage, ligament and tendon. Applications that address the biomechanical and structural changes related to degenerative bone and joint diseases may be reviewed in SSPD, whereas applications that focus on the development, repair and regeneration of skeletal tissues may be reviewed in SDRR. 

There are shared interests with Oral, Dental and Craniofacial Sciences [ODCS] in investigations related to teeth and the oral cavity. Applications that focus on periodontal bone remodeling, pathogenesis of oral and dental diseases, tooth mineralization, dentin and enamel biology may be reviewed in ODCS, whereas applications that focus on craniofacial development and biomineralization, including mechanisms and development of oral hard tissue (palate), mandibular and maxilla bone, and tooth development may be reviewed in SDRR. 

There are shared interests with Tissue Formation and Organogenesis [TFO] in the investigation of skeletal development. Applications that focus on studying regulatory networks in patterning of craniofacial and skeletal tissues during development may be reviewed in TFO, whereas applications studying craniofacial and skeletal development and patterning may be reviewed in SDRR.

There are shared interests with Pathophysiology of Obesity and Metabolic Disease [POMD] in the investigation of metabolic regulation of bones and joints. Applications that focus on insulin signaling pathways effects on bones may be reviewed in POMD, whereas applications that focus on effects of metabolic processes on bone and joint development may be reviewed in SDRR. 

There are shared interests with Aging, Injury, Musculoskeletal, and Rheumatologic Disorders [AIMR] in skeletal conditions. Applications that emphasize the distribution and determinants of skeletal development and bone diseases in human subpopulations may be reviewed in AIMR, whereas applications that emphasize basic and translational aspects of normal and abnormal skeletal development and investigate the pathological and normal physiology of these conditions may be reviewed in SDRR.

There are shared interests with Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering [MTE] in the development of strategies to enhance repair of bone, cartilage and joints. Applications that are involved in the development of biomaterials and biomimetic scaffolds for tissue engineering, as well as the design of orthopedic implants may be reviewed in MTE. Applications that are involved with the application of biomaterials to enhance the intrinsic capacity of the regeneration of bone, tendon/ligaments and cartilage, gene therapy, as well as the mechanisms of orthopedic implant loosening, may be reviewed in SDRR.