Research

The activities of the group are focused on clinical, translational and basic research.
The aim of the research activity in collaboration with CMBM is to biologically and biomechanically study the human tissues in musculoskeletal pathologies. This approach is also integrated with a morphometric evaluation of human tissues based on image analysis (x-ray and MRI).
The secondary aim is the development of computational models that could be helpful not only in the assessment of reliability and optimization of surgical procedures and devices but also in evaluating new diagnostic and prognostic tools.

CLINICAL RESEARCH LINES

Orthopedics and Orthopedic Oncology
Primary and metastatic bone tumours in adults and children.
Benign and sarcoma tumours of soft tissues.
Complex reconstruction after wide resections (custom-made prosthesis and extendable prosthesis).
Elective orthopaedic surgery (arthroscopy and prosthesis implants) of hip, knee, and shoulder.
Foot and hand surgery.
Pediatric orthopaedics surgery.

Foot and Ankle surgery
Foot and Ankle surgery, Diabetic and Charcot Foot treatment, Sport Medicine and Traumatic Injuries, Muscles, Ligaments and Tendons Pathologies

Spine surgery
Correction of spinal deformities in growing and adult patients, benign and malignant tumours of the spine.
Navigation and novel technologies in spine surgery, Degenerative spine disease.

TRANSLATIONAL AND BASIC RESEARCH LINES

MUSCULOSKELETAL PATHOLOGY AND ONCOLOGY LABORATORY
The Laboratory is directly involved in the activities of basic and translational research and in supporting the clinical research group.
Moreover, the laboratory is affiliated to the Tissue Bank of the Department of Surgical, Oncological and Gastroenterological Sciences (DiSCOG) for the collection and storage of tissue samples and biological fluids from patients with musculoskeletal diseases.

Research lines:

Musculoskeletal Oncology
Study of microenvironment in sarcoma tumours Evaluation of biomarkers in sarcoma tumours and bone metastases.
In vitro study of new potential therapeutic molecules for sarcoma tumours treatment on cell lines and 3-D cultures.

Physiopathology of musculoskeletal diseases 
Physiopathology of osteoarthritis in order to evaluate: i) the role of the different joint tissues (infrapatellar fat pad, cartilage, meniscus and synovial membrane), ii) the therapeutic effects in vitro of different molecules, and iii) potential diseases biomarkers
Evaluation of the Skeletal muscle in physiological and pathological conditions.

Biomechanics
Biomechanical characterization of human tissues in physiological conditions and musculoskeletal pathologies.
Image Analysis (x-Ray, MRI) for morphometric evaluation of human tissues.

Regenerative Medicine in musculoskeletal diseases
Isolation and characterization of stem cells from different joint tissues and evaluation of their differentiation potential.

Immunology in musculoskeletal diseases
Evaluation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) circulating and from bone marrow of healthy and pathologic subjects.
Immunological evaluation of bone tumors.