Developing regenerative therapies for musculoskeletal disorders
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Improving understanding of musculoskeletal tissues and their resident cell types to inform development of novel regenerative therapies.
IRAS ID
258911
Contact name
Stephen M A Richardson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Musculoskeletal diseases, like osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and intervertebral disc degeneration (a major cause of back pain/sciatica) affect a large proportion of the population and are set to increase in prevalence as the global population ages. These diseases have a massive socio-economic impact and cost the NHS billions of pounds every year to treat. However, to date, there are no successful, long-term treatments for the majority of these problems. As such, our research is focused on trying to understand the causes of these diseases, as well as identify new strategies for their treatment.
The cells residing within musculoskeletal tissues receive important information from their surroundings (tissue microenvironment directly adjacent to the cells) which directs cell function. During musculoskeletal disease the tissue microenvironment changes (e.g. reduced oxygen and glucose levels, changes in pH and mechanical loading), becoming detrimental to the cells within. Our research looks at the effect of these microenvironmental changes on musculoskeletal cells in order to better understand the conditions that initiate and progress musculoskeletal disease. We will also investigate a special population of cells that are found in bone marrow and fat, called mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), to better understand how they can be used to treat disease and regenerate musculoskeletal tissues. Clinical images (MRI) will be assessed to link findings from the study back to clinical disease status and to inform the design of regenerative therapies.
We will use surplus musculoskeletal tissues removed during routine surgeries and will access medical imaging. All samples will be pseudonymised and identifying information will be removed from images. Any patient aged 18-80 years undergoing routine joint surgery and has the capacity to provide consent will be eligible and up to 500 patients will be recruited from partner hospitals prior to surgery. The study will last 3 years and the patients will not undergo additional procedures.REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 2
REC reference
21/NS/0056
Date of REC Opinion
21 Apr 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion