Jay R. Lieberman, MD, orthopedics department chair and orthopedic surgery professor at Los Angeles-based Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, earned a National Institutes of Health grant for bone repair research.
Here are five things to know:
1. NIH's National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases awarded the five-year, $2.2 million grant.
2. Dr. Lieberman will use the grant for gene therapy research on how to enhance repair of bone injuries.
3. Specifically, his research will focus on fractures with excessive bone loss, non-healing fractures, failed spinal fusions and total joint replacement revisions.
4. For his research, Dr. Lieberman will genetically manipulate human bone marrow cells to overproduce bone morphogenetic protein.
5. Ultimately, his research will test the efficacy and safety of the gene therapy and "establish a cellular dose of the genetically manipulated cells that can be scaled up for potential use in humans."
"My goal with this grant is to determine whether genetically modifying human bone marrow cells to overproduce BMP will help heal large bone defects in an animal model and, ultimately, provide a better alternative for repairs in humans," said Dr. Lieberman.