Research Areas

Inquires for Research Opportunities: Please contact Ms. Esperanza Soriano (ecs2@columbia.edu)

Translational Research, Molecular Biology and Functional Genomics in Musculoskeletal System :

Dr. Blaine and Dr. Lee have established molecular biology core laboratories. They are conducting studies on molecular mechanisms involved in rotator cuff tear, shoulder bursitis, wear-debris induced osteolysis, cartilage differentiation and bone regeneration in collaboration with Dr. Hahn-Jun Lee.

- Osteoclast Biology : Drs. Francis Y. Lee, Theodore Blaine and Hahn-Jun Lee are currently conducting studies on osteoclastogenesis. This study focuses on physiologic and pathologic osteoclastogenesis in osteoporosis, particle-induced osteolysis, tumor-induced osteolysis and dental reconstruction.

- Osteoblast Biology : Drs. Francis Y. Lee and Hahn-Jun Lee are currently conducting studies on the effect of mechanical loading on osteoblasts. This study focuses on the anabolic effect of mechanical loading.

- Sarcoma Research : Dr. Francis Lee is currently studying on cell survival genes in sarcomas that are resistant to chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

- Shoulder Bursitis :Drs. Theodore Blaine, Louis Bigliani and Motoyuki Fujisawa are studying on molecular pathophysiology of shoulder bursitis.

- Chondrocyte Biology : Dr. Francis Y. Lee is currently studying on gene expression profiling in chondrocytes.

top

Foot & Ankle:
Dr. Justin Greisberg is developing a study to identify how the medial column of the foot contributes to the arch, and how loss of medial column support can lead to planovalgus (flat foot) deformity. A special testing rig has been constructed to allow the foot to be loaded, radiographed under load and the deformity created.

top

Hand & Microvascular:
Dr. Melvin Rosenwasser is looking at the biomechanical effectiveness of three currently used procedures for the repair of scapholunate dissociation. The normal scapholunate kinematics of fresh frozen cadaveric hand specimens are obtained, an injury model is created and the modified kinematics resulting from the injury model are measured. Finally, one of the three repair techniques is performed and the resultant kinematics measured. The ability of each of the repair techniques to restore normal scaphoid – lunate kinematics is then assessed.

top

Hip & Knee:
Drs. William Levine and Christopher Ahmad have recently completed a study comparing the effectiveness of hamstring grafts in porcine knees for the Biotransfix, Rigidfix, Endobutton, and interference screw techniques when subjected to cyclic loading. The results of this study have been accepted for publication in the American Journal of Sports Medicine. They are currently involved in a study examining the effectiveness, as measured by the amount of slippage and failure loads, of bone-patellar-tendon-bone constructs secured by interference screw, Endobutton and a new femoral cross pin fixation technique, again using porcine knees. Another ongoing study is using a similar porcine model to evaluate a new ACL repair technique. Dr. William Macaulay is investigating the molecular mechanism of wear-debris induced osteolysis in collaboration with Dr. Francis Y. Lee and Dr. Theodore Blaine.

top

Pediatric Orthopedics:
Dr. Francis Y. Lee is the Director of the Center for Orthopedic Research. He is looking at the genes that govern cartilage differentiation and initiate pathologic changes using cDNA microarray, real time RT-PCR and gene transfection studies. He is also looking at regulators of bone development such as cbfa-1 and bone morphogenetic proteins. He is conducting the first clinical prospective study on the therapeutic effect of recombinant human BMP-7 on nonunions in children. He is in the process of developing novel therapeutic strategies for difficult pediatric Orthopedic problems such as congenital pseudarthrosis of tibia and recalcitrant osteolytic lesions using novel molecular agents in the post-geneomic era. His works have been published in peer-reviewed basic science and clinical journals.

Dr. Michael Vitale was recently named a Herbert Irving Scholar and has been awarded a 3-year grant to assess patient-based outcomes in children with neuromuscular disease, using a web-based data collection and management infrastructure. He is also a recipient of the Orthopaedic Research & Education Foundation and Zimmer Career Development Award, for which he has created a pediatric web-based trauma outcomes registry that has been used to collect data on nearly two hundred patients among five participating centers across the country. At the same time, he has also designed and implemented a randomized clinical trial to study the impact of brace monitoring on patient-compliance in adolescents diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis.

Dr. Joshua Hyman was recently awarded a grant from the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America to study the impact of Orthopedic treatment on school attendance among children in New York City. His first study on this topic was accepted for publication by the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics and he is currently working on submitting the follow-up study for publication as well.

Dr. David Roye has been invited to participate in several studies being conducted by the Spinal Deformity Study Group to evaluate current surgical techniques in treating patients with single curve, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis by developing and defining radiographic and clinical outcomes measures. Most recently, the pediatric Orthopedic group has been working with Synthes Spine to develop a study protocol focusing on pulmonary function and quality of life in young children with progressive early scoliosis.

top

Shoulder, Elbow and Sports Medicine:
Drs. Blaine and Bigliani are studying molecular changes related to the subacromial bursitis and rotator cuff disorders. Drs. William Levine and Christopher Ahmad are studying the effectiveness of several humeral head fixation techniques when subjected to cyclic loading. Fresh frozen cadaveric specimens are mounted in a material testing system that stresses the fixation technique with a time-varying torsional load.

top

Trauma:
The Trauma Training Center was founded in 1995 with the goal of excellence in graduate and post-graduate Orthopedic trauma education and research. This goal manifests itself in myriad ways, including ongoing prospective clinical studies, biomechanical basic science research, development of specialized software databases, hands-on resident training courses, and the annual advanced trauma symposium.

The Trauma Training Center is now part of the new 17,000 square-foot facility at the Stein Center for Orthopedic Education and Research on Presbyterian Hospital's 11th floor at the Columbia University Medical Center. The new facilities include state-of-the-art bioskills, computer, and research laboratories devoted to the advancement of trauma care, training, and education.

top

Tumor & Bone Disease:
Dr. Francis Y. Lee is looking at the molecular mechanism of tumor-induced osteolysis and in the process of designing novel therapeutic strategies. He has established many cell lines that are currently used in the Center for Orthopedic Research in collaboration with Dr. Theodore Blaine. Dr. Francis Y. Lee and his associates focus their research on the development of therapeutic agents against osteolytic tumors. One of the approaches is an application of anti-osteoporosis/bone resorption agents to osteolytic tumors. Another approach is customized therapy based on the biological mechanism for hyperactivation of osteolysis.

The homeostasis of bone mass is intricately maintained by the balance of bone remodeling – an interplay of mineral deposition and resorption. The former is the function of obsteoblasts, mesenchymal cells, and the latter of osteoclasts, hematopoietic cells. The communications between these two cell types, via secreted factors and cell-cell interactions, appear to control the homeostasis and are beginning to be understood at the molecular level. Dr. Lee's laboratory is focusing on the identifications of interacting molecules during osteoclastogenesis induced by osteoblasts & stromal cells at the levels of signal transduction, transcription and apoptosis. Therapeutic interventions are being developed using siRNA and specific inhibitors for signal transducers.

top

Spine:
Dr. Mark Weidenbaum is a former recipient of OREF Research Grant and Career Development Award. He is currently looking at the effect of growth factors on spine fusion and spine disc regeneration in collaboration with Dr. Francis Y. Lee.

2005 Orthopaedic Research Society/American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Annual Meeting Abstracts

Kim YS, Lee HJ, Chang SS, Lee FY, Bigliani LU, Blaine TA: SDF-1 expression in shoulder bursitis. 51st Annual Meeting of Orthopaedic Research Society, 2005.

Fujisawa M, Kim Y-S, Murakami K, Abdelmessieh P, Chang, S-S, Lee, H-J, Blaine TA, and Lee FY; FUNCTION OF A HECT DOMAIN UBIQUITIN LIGASE IN OSTEOBLAST DIFFERENTIATION. 51st Annual Meeting of Orthopaedic Research Society, 2005.

Lee FY, Yu John, Chang SS, Fawaaz R, Parisien MV: Diagnostic accuracy and limitations of positron emission tomography for the diagnosis of cartilaginous tumors. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, December, 2004

Lee FY, Scoeb JS, Yu J, Dick HM: Operative lengthening of the humerus: Indications, benefits and complications. Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, 2005 (MS04-6257)**

Yu J, Chang SS, Suratwala, Chung, Abdelmessieh, Lee, Yang J, Lee FY: Zoledronate induces apoptosis in stromal cells of unicameral bone cyst. Journal of Orthopaedic Research, 2005 (MS04-156)**

Shih-Pin Lin studied on the effect of zoledronate on osteoblasts, osteoclasts and benign tumor cells (Principal Investigator: Dr. Francis Y. Lee, M.D.).