Orthopedic Surgery

/ Research

Research

The orthopedic research laboratory is staffed by graduate-trained engineers who conduct basic and translational research in a variety of areas including:

  • Biomaterials
  • Biomechanics
  • Cell and molecular biology
  • Implant retrieval and analysis
  • Joint wear simulation
  • Patient outcomes and registries
  • Sports medicine
  • Have strong backgrounds in the engineering fields of biomedical, chemical, materials science and mechanical engineering
  • Well-versed in policies and procedures of research conduct at Corewell Health
  • Will assist in all aspects of research projects including start-up, funding, experimentation, data & statistical analysis and manuscript preparation
  • Laboratory staff work closely with residents, fellows and attending surgeons in the development and implementation of novel research projects aimed at improving the standard of care for orthopedic surgery patients

There is a dedicated research month in PGY-4, which facilitates progress towards publication. Each resident is expected to be involved in two Lab-based projects and one clinical project during the five-year residency.

Research projects are designed to result in presentation at a national subspecialty conference or the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). Numerous manuscripts have been published in peer-reviewed journals in the areas of foot & ankle, hand & upper extremity, joint reconstruction, shoulder & elbow, spine, sports medicine, and trauma.

Peer-reviewed funding has been received from orthopedic organizations including:

  • The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society
  • American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons
  • Cervical Spine Research Society
  • Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society
  • American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
  • AO Trauma North America
  • Lumbar Spine Research Society  

Federal funding has been obtained by researchers from the Department of Defense and National Science Foundation. Researchers have also been awarded grants from MI - TRAC, and private donors.

  • Have strong backgrounds in the engineering fields of biomedical, chemical, materials science and mechanical engineering
  • Well-versed in policies and procedures of research conduct at Corewell Health
  • Will assist in all aspects of research projects including start-up, funding, experimentation, data & statistical analysis and manuscript preparation
  • Laboratory staff work closely with residents, fellows and attending surgeons in the development and implementation of novel research projects aimed at improving the standard of care for orthopedic surgery patients

There is a dedicated research month in PGY-4, which facilitates progress towards publication. Each resident is expected to be involved in two Lab-based projects and one clinical project during the five-year residency.

Research projects are designed to result in presentation at a national subspecialty conference or the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). Numerous manuscripts have been published in peer-reviewed journals in the areas of foot & ankle, hand & upper extremity, joint reconstruction, shoulder & elbow, spine, sports medicine, and trauma.

Peer-reviewed funding has been received from orthopedic organizations including:

  • The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society
  • American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons
  • Cervical Spine Research Society
  • Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society
  • American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
  • AO Trauma North America
  • Lumbar Spine Research Society  

Federal funding has been obtained by researchers from the Department of Defense and National Science Foundation. Researchers have also been awarded grants from MI - TRAC, and private donors.

The orthopedic research laboratories are located in the Corewell Health Research Institute on the main hospital campus.  There are five separate laboratories comprising over 6,000 square feet of lab space. Equipment in the laboratories facilitates biomechanical testing, advanced materials characterization and synthesis, cell and tissue culture, CT/MRI image analysis and wear simulations. Current equipment includes:

  • High-Resolution Imaging Equipment:
    • Scanco USA V1va80-CT micro-computed tomography (live imaging)
    • Scanco USA MicroCT-40 micro-computed tomography (ex vivo imaging)
    • Perkin Elmer FMT2000 fluorescence molecular tomography (live imaging)
  • High-Performance Microscopy and Materials-Level Analysis:
    • Tescan Vega3 environmental scanning/transmission electron microscope
    • Oxford energy dispersive X-ray spectrophotometry
    • Zygo NewView 3000 white light interferometric microscopy
  • Cell/Tissue Culture and In Vitro Analysis
    • Brotek Cytation 1 multi-mode microplate reader and cell imaging system
    • Luminex 200 bead-based multiplex ELISA/PCR workstation
    • HeraCel copper-lined C02 incubators
    • Thermo-Fisher Class A2 biological safety cabinets
  • Biochanical Testing Equipment:
    • MTS Insight 5 materials loading frame
    • MTS M1n1 B1onix 858 servo-hydraulic materials loading frame
    • MTS 12 station hip wear simulator with 4 station load soak control
    • Tekscan thin film pressure sensor system
  • Miscellaneous:
    • Cellink 30 bioprinter
    • Ultimaker 30D printer
    • Bridgeport 5 axis CNC mill
    • Manual lathe
    • Metallographic preparation equipment (embedding, sectioning, polishing)

The orthopedic research laboratory staff also have access to equipment located in Corewell Health Research Institute cores, including:

  • Genomics and Transcriptomics:
    • NexGen RNA-sequencing
    • Affymetrix GeneChip workstation
  • Metabolomics and Proteomics:
    • Bruker MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry
    • Thermo Fisher tro-orburao tandem mass spectrometry
    • Bruker Avance III HD 600 MHz1H-NMR spectroscopy
  • Molecular Imaging:
    • Licor Pearl Impulse 20 near infrared imaging (live imaging capable)
    • MR Solutions small-bore 3T MRI (live imaging capable)
    • Gamma Medica FLEX Triumph microPET /SPECT /CT imaging (live imaging capable)

The orthopedic research laboratory works closely with Corewell Health’s BioBank and Core Genetics & Tissue Laboratory. The BioBank is a repository of tissue and fluid samples taken from a variety of surgical procedures, including oncology, cardiovascular and orthopedic patients.  The BioBank is outfitted with advanced tissue, gene and protein-level characterization equipment, which allows our researchers to investigate disease pathology, tissue response to novel biomaterials and to develop novel treatment strategies for common conditions.  The BioBank’s Core Genetics & Tissue Laboratory is equipped with the following:

  • Affymetrix GeneChip genomics workstation
  • BioRad SELDI-TOF-MS ProteinChip proteomics workstation
  • Laser capture microdissection microsope
  • Scanning laser confocal microscopy
  • Beecher tissue microarray
  • Automated tissue processing stations (embedding, staining, grinding)
  • Bioplex microbead-based multiplex ELISA system
  • Eppendorf quantitative RT-PCR
  • Histomorphometry workstation

Orthopedic clinical trials office

Human subjects-based research in the department of orthopedic surgery is managed by dedicated orthopedic clinical trials office under the director of Pamela Sloan, RN, BSN, CRM. Research nurses within the orthopedic clinical trials office work directory with attending surgeons, residents, fellows, and Lab research staff on both investigator-initiated and industry-funded clinical trials. This close partnership between the orthopedic clinical trials office, orthopedic research laboratory and physicians ensures the successful development and execution of orthopedic clinical research at Corewell Health.