Leader: Jean-Pierre Pelletier, MD, FRCP(C)

Co-leader: Jacques A. De Guise, ing., PhD

Researchers

Musculoskeletal diseases are among the most frequent causes of chronic invalidity, ranking second in terms of health care costs in Canada and Quebec. The research sub-themes of the Musculoskeletal Diseases them include the study of pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for structural changes observed in arthrosis and the development of new therapeutic strategies, the pathophysiological and therapeutic roles of autoantibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis and other human collagenoses, the integrated development and validation of imaging, modelling and three-dimensional biometric methods for the study and functional validation of treatments of human locomotion disorders.

The Arthrosis Research Unit has provided a better understanding of many of the mechanisms and risk factors responsible for the onset and progression of arthrosis. Its researchers have also contributed to the development of new diagnostic tools and new potentially curative treatments.

In the field of lupus, work in the Auto-immunity Research Laboratory (AIRL) has identified autoantibodies that have an antithrombotic effect. The potential cardiovascular therapeutic applications of this project are very important. In scleroderma, a highly characteristic autoantibody that has a new pathogenic role in fibrosis has been discovered. Clinical markers for diagnosis that are strongly predictive of mortality have also been identified.

Thanks to grants from the NSERC, CIHR, VRQ, FQRNT and the award of the Canada Research Chair in 3D Imaging and Biomedical Engineering to Professor Jacques de Guise in January 2004, the Imaging and Orthopaedics Laboratory has developed its research on the imaging and modelling of osteoarticular and vascular systems. This group has developed innovative methods for the analysis of noise in medical images, for their restoration and for the precise modelling (±1 mm) of the spinal column, ribcage, pelvis, knee and cerebral aneurysms from bi-plane x-rays. It has also proposed new methods for updating different categories of images (radiology, angiography, IVUS, CT, MRI).   It also pursues research on the development of new biomechanical approaches for the evaluation of gonarthrosis treatments and ligament surgery. This work has resulted in a new method to improve the reproducibility of cinematic measurements of the knee in 3D (with patent protection). Work also continues on the conception, mechanical modelling and evaluation of new shoulder and hip prostheses.

Through their many teaching commitments, researchers and clinicians of the Musculoskeletal Diseases Theme offer a wide range of activities, from molecules to man, from basic to clinical research, from patient care to the transfer of knowledge. Within the framework of its activities at the CHUM, this theme provides multidisciplinary care to patients suffering from musculoskeletal diseases such as arthrosis, collagenosis, inflammatory articular diseases, and osteoporosis.