Institute researchers are investigating novel ways to treat orthopaedic desease and injury, as well as repair damaged portions of the musculoskeletal system. Currently, researchers are pursuing methods of characterizing muscle derived stem cell populations for potential uses in gene therapy and tissue engineering applications for regenerative medicine.

Among the list of topics under study are muscle-based gene therapy, muscle-derived cell transplantation, the evaluation of viral and non-viral vectors for a variety of neuromuscular conditions, as well as repair/replacement of cartilage, tendon, muscle and bone. Potential applications of such technology include muscle injury repair, limb lengthening and arthritis and other joint injuries. Using this technology, researchers within the lab are ultimately searching for novel ways to repair, replace, reconstruct, and regenerate a wide variety of damaged, diseased or absent tissues.

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