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Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health
Musculoskeletal research at IU School of Medicine focuses on the discovery and development of new treatments for musculoskeletal disease.

Musculoskeletal Research

The Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health drives innovative research in musculoskeletal health by bringing together a world-class cohort of multidisciplinary investigators and facilitating their collaboration. 

ICMH director Melissa Kacena, PhD

As the U.S. population ages, diseases and disorders of the musculoskeletal system are becoming substantially more widespread and burdensome. When taken with the fact that the musculoskeletal system is essential for good health at every stage of life, it is clear that research focused on garnering a better understand musculoskeletal health is critical. Specifically, the musculoskeletal conditions of sarcopenia, osteoporosis and arthritis continue to increase, as do the demand for hip and knee replacements. The overall economic burden of musculoskeletal conditions is greater than that of cancer, stroke and cardiac arrest combined.

The Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health (ICMH) seeks to drive innovative research in musculoskeletal health by bringing together a world-class cohort of multidisciplinary investigators and facilitating their collaboration. This is accomplished through the use of research service cores, pilot funding opportunities, thematic research teams and strategic committees.


Collaborative Funding Opportunities

The center supports two annual initiatives for internal pilot funding. These pilot funding programs are important mechanisms in supporting multidisciplinary research projects led by teams of collaborative primary investigators. The ultimate objective is to support creative research and discoveries by these expert teams. These initiatives are open to all members of the ICMH.

The ICMH is also proud to partner with the IU Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, the Indiana Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, and the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research in an annual multi-center funding program. The goal of this initiative is to bring together members of the participating centers and institutes to collaborate on the development of groundbreaking concepts that advance the mission of IU School of Medicine as well as the research goals of the funding centers. Projects are cross-disciplinary, in novel areas of investigation, and carry the goal of generating data in support of future collaborative funding opportunities.

Research Service Cores

Research service cores are available to support Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health investigators and collaborative medical research partners working in this area of medicine. ICMH service cores provide centralized, shared resources which offer access to instruments, technologies, and services, such as expert consultation, to scientific and clinical investigators on the IU School of Medicine–Indianapolis campus. Research support in the areas of animal imaging and analysis, musculoskeletal histology, musculoskeletal biobanking, and clinical care and mobility is currently available.

Basic and Translational Science Cores

Clinical Research Cores

Thematic Research Teams

Focused research teams are composed of basic, translational and clinical researchers, including medical and graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and orthopaedic fellows. These cross-departmental groups are made up of experts in genetic, precision medicine, trauma, rehab, regeneration, mechanobiology, muscle/bone crosstalk, musculoskeletal cancer and pediatric musculoskeletal disease.

Five dedicated research teams actively pursue these specific research focuses, and new teams and subgroups are welcome. Individuals interested in joining or supporting one of the research teams can contact the center.

This team includes both clinicians and researchers from several disciplines. Members have a broad focus on a range of genetic and acquired musculoskeletal diseases affecting individuals across their lifespan from childhood through adulthood. Team members investigate genetic conditions such as X-linked hypophosphatemia, osteogenesis imperfecta and osteopetrosis, along with normal skeletal development and musculoskeletal complications of a variety of chronic diseases including diabetes, obesity and kidney disease, as well as diseases of aging including sarcopenia and osteoporosis. Team members employ a variety of research methodologies including clinical trials, animal and cell models, genomic, metabolic and proteomic techniques, precision health and informatics to assess disease risk and treatment response.

Cancers arise in musculoskeletal tissue, and non-musculoskeletal cancers and anti-cancer therapies can damage both bone and muscle. The cancer research team focuses on cancers arising from musculoskeletal cells (sarcomas), the interactions between cancer and bone in the metastatic niche, and the effects of cancer and cancer therapies on the musculoskeletal system. These investigators study how the musculoskeletal system can influence cancer risk, development, progression and outcomes.

The lifestyle modification team’s research focuses on the lifestyle, nutrition and behavioral modifications that impact musculoskeletal health and physical function, specifically in regard to nutrition and mobility. The goal of this research is to better understand how musculoskeletal health and physical function affect the overall health of the population and how chronic diseases impact musculoskeletal health.

Bone and muscle couple mechanical and biochemical stimulation to effect cellular responses through signal transduction. They also act as endocrine/secretory organs by releasing soluble factors, such as osteokines and myokines. The myology research team utilizes molecular, cellular, systemic and organismal level functional outcomes to investigate mutual interactions between bone and muscle. Given many physiological processes are regulated by bone and muscle in a paracrine manner, our group also investigates distant tissues in development, normal physiology and disease.

Focusing on developing patient-specific interventions, the trauma, regeneration and rehabilitation team works to treat patients sustaining musculoskeletal injury, specifically injuries that result in acute and chronic musculoskeletal disease. These treatment goals include acute interventions, regenerative interventions for both bone and muscle, and eventually identifying the optimal means of rehabilitation for the patient to resume a normal lifestyle.