Research

Research is a very important component of the fellowship. The Beaumont Research Institute provides facilities and support personnel, including PhDs, veterinarians and statisticians, with clinical supervisory support available through the department faculty. Fellow research has been presented at numerous national and international meetings and also has been published in all of the major orthopedic peer-reviewed journals.

The Orthopedic Research Laboratories are comprised of three separate lab spaces totaling nearly 4,000 square feet. The labs are staffed by graduate-trained engineers with backgrounds in biomedical, materials and mechanical engineering. Equipment for advanced microscopy, materials testing, biomechanical testing, dissection, and cell/tissue culture are available to aid research. A high volume orthopedic implant retrieval program run by the Orthopedic Research Laboratories provides unique insight into the physical and electrochemical failure modes of spinal implants, as well.

Areas of research

• characterization of metal ion concentration and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and proteases in periprosthetic tissue adjacent to posterior thoracolumbar instrumentation
• in vivo corrosion of 316L stainless steel lumbar connector plates
• biologic lumbar disc augmentation with growth factor-loaded biopolymer hydrogels and mesenchymal stem cells
• sustained, localized delivery of rhBMP-2 by biomimetic calcium phosphate coatings in the setting of posterolateral lumbar fusion
• viability and inflammatory response of human annulus fibrosus chondroctyes exposed to metallic wear debris in vitro

Research requirement