MSK collection
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Characterising musculoskeletal cells and tissues in health and disease
IRAS ID
311160
Contact name
Stephen M A Richardson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Musculoskeletal diseases, like osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, intervertebral disc degeneration (a major cause of back pain/sciatica) and cancers of bone or bone marrow, 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.
Our research is focussed on understanding what changes within musculoskeletal tissues (bone, cartilage and intervertebral disc) during healthy ageing and what changes with disease. The long-term aim of this research is to understand the causes of these diseases in order to identify new strategies for their treatment. Crucially, the identification of common pathways maintaining health or causing disease across tissues will enable more rapid development of therapies, such as through drug repurposing.
This study will use existing collections of musculoskeletal cells and tissues, previously collected during REC-approved studies from paediatric and adult patients during routine joint surgeries, or from cadaveric adult donors. These samples are either anonymised or pseudonymised with only minimal patient information collected (age, sex, reason for surgery, and relevant medication at the time of surgery). There will be no prospective sample recruitment or participant involvement.
This university laboratory-based study will last 5 years and will investigate changes to the tissues and their resident cells with ageing and disease. Cells will also be used to understand basic cell biology, investigate potential disease mechanisms and aid in development of novel therapies.REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 2
REC reference
24/NS/0074
Date of REC Opinion
18 Jun 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion