OVERVIEW

Cartilage is the remarkably tough tissue that covers the bone surfaces in our joints and permits pain-free movement by greatly reducing friction between bones and distributing stress. Unfortunately, when cartilage is damaged due to injury or disease, it has a limited capacity to heal and can lead to early arthritis. Arthritis is a major health issue that is predicted to increase as our population ages.

As such, there is considerable interest in the development of techniques to repair or reconstruct damaged joint cartilage. The implications of a successful method for cartilage repair would be great in terms of the number of patients affected and their quality of life. Importantly, in this era of escalating health care costs, successful cartilage repair would decrease the long-term costs of health care related to joint replacement and multiple revisions thereof.

MISSION STATEMENT:

The mission of the Cartilage and Connective Tissue Research Laboratory, consistent with the goals embodied by the Mayo shield, is to lead the orthopedic community in its efforts to improve the treatment of patients with diseased and damaged joints, by building a team of investigators (clinicians and scientists, teachers and students), by conducting the highest level of research to advance the knowledge regarding how cartilage and connective tissues can be repaired, and by educating physicians and scientists within and outside Mayo regarding the scientific basis and clinical relevance of our research - thereby providing hope for current and future patients in need.

ABOUT DR. O'DRISCOLL

Dr. O'Driscoll is one of the most experienced investigators (and a pioneer) in the field of biological repair of cartilage. He was the first on this continent to develop the techniques for biological regeneration of articular cartilage in large defects. In 1990 he founded the Cartilage and Connective Tissue Research Laboratory at the University of Toronto and was the first person to grow cartilage from post-natal periosteal explants in vitro. In 1992, he moved his laboratory to its current location at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.

He is the president of the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS), a professional scientific and medical society established: to promote excellence in cartilage research, to foster integration of basic and clinical science, and to facilitate the translation of that science to healthcare and clinical practice. Dr. O'Driscoll has been involved in this research for the past two decades. Dr. O'Driscoll has extensive experience with experimental surgery, histology and histochemistry, has developed scoring systems and a reproducible method for automated histomorphometry. He has developed new methods for quantitative analysis of type II collagen, a key indicator of the cartilage phenotype. He has experience with cartilage biochemistry and extensive experience with tissue culture.