Orthopedic Research Laboratory

The Orthopedic Research Laboratory (ORL) at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University provides a comprehensive range of clinical and research services that can rapidly and effectively address the orthopedic needs of our clinical patients, our regional industry partners, and other investigators. Since 1997, 38 different veterinarians and scientists from 14 institutions outside of Tufts Veterinary School have participated in ORL research studies.

Personnel:
The ORL faculty and staff have experience with clinical assessments in a broad range of species, including horses, goats and dogs. Tissue regeneration has been the focus of a number of ORL initiatives, especially in assessing the efficacy of growth factors and stem cells in healing tissue defects of bone and other skeletal tissues.

Two of our faculty members, Dr. Carl Kirker-Head, MRCVS, and Dr. Karl Kraus, DVM, oversee and pursue large animal and small animal ORL research activities, respectively.

Current Research:
Most recently, the ORL has been assessing the efficacy of the following:

• New Meniscal Repair Device for Horses
  The meniscus is a pad of fibrous tissue located between the ends of the femur (thigh bone) and tibia (gaskin) that serves as a joint buffer and stabilizer. Injury is most often characterized by severe lameness that results when the meniscal pad and its associated attachments are torn. The repair device being studied allows us to accelerate recovery time and reduce the likelihood of surgical complications by using arthroscopic (key hole) techniques to reposition and stabilize the torn meniscal segments.

• New Cartilage Defect Resurfacing
  Using goats as a model for human arthritis, the study allows us to evaluate a novel implant resurfacing technology for the management of moderate- to large-sized cartilage defects. This methodology has the potential to supplant existing suboptimal management techniques such as total joint replacement.

• Novel Arthroscopic Instrumentation
  Horses are being used to assess the value of novel ‘radiofrequency’ arthroscopic instrumentation for the management of soft tissue disorders of both equine and human joints. The advantages of this technology include faster surgeries and reduced likelihood of bleeding into the joint.

• Surgical Management of Navicular Disease
  This study involves a new arthroscopic surgical procedure for the management of horses afflicted with navicular disease, which is a chronic debilitating disorder of the front hooves that causes lameness and pain. It is anticipated that our new procedure will eliminate the need for surgical neurectomy - the current treatment for horses with unremitting lameness - which involves risks of complication and has not been proven effective.

Facilities and Equipment:
The ORL is located within the Hospital for Large Animals at Tufts Veterinary School’s Grafton, Mass., campus. It offers an array of sophisticated equipment and services, including:

• Principal research equipment:
  • Instron Model 8511+ servohydraulic materials testing device
  • Picker 5000 spiral CT
  • Hologic Q1000 DXA scanner
  • nuclear scintigraphy (Siemans LFOV Gamma Camera)
  • digitized fluoroscopy (Shimadzu RS-110 Remote radiology/fluoroscopy room with UD150L 630MA 50 KW )
  • Kistler model Z4852 piezoelectric quartz crystal force plate Gait Analysis System.
• Complementary equipment/services:
• video-endoscopy
• high-speed treadmill
• comprehensive surgical facilities
• a media center
• and clinical pathology and pathology facilities

Publications and Presentations:
The data generated from ORL’s clinical research studies has been presented at national and international meetings of the:

• American College of Veterinary Surgeons
• European College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Orthopedic Research Society
• International Conference on Chemistry and Biology of Mineralized Tissue.

ORL routinely contributes publications to peer reviewed scientific journals, including the:

• Journal of Orthopedic Research
• Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research
• Veterinary Surgery
• Connective Tissue Research
• American Journal of Veterinary Research.

Recent Publications:

• Landis WJ, Hay Kraus BL, Kirker-Head CA. “Vascular-mineral spatial correlation in the normally calcifying turkey leg tendon”. Accepted for Publication in Connective Tissue Research. November 2001.

• Kirker-Head C, Kirker-Head M. Safety of an Oral Chondroprotective Agent in Horses. Veterinary Therapeutics. 2:345-353, 2001.

• Hennig G, Hay-Kraus BL, Fister R, King VL, Steckel RR, Kirker-Head CA. Comparison of two methods for presurgical disinfection of the equine hoof. Vet Surgery. 30:366-373, 2001.

• Kirker-Head CA. Potential Applications and Delivery Strategies of Bone Morphogenetic Proteins. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews. 43:65-92, 2000.

• Kirker-Head CA, Chandna VK, Agarwal RK, Morris EA, Tidwell A, O'Callaghan MW, Rand W, and Kumar MSA . Substance P and PGE2 levels in normal and abnormal equine joint fluids. Amer J Vet Res 61:714-718, 2000.

• Kraus KH, Kadiyala S, Wotton HM, Kurth A, Shea M, Kirker-Head CA, Hayes WC, Bruder SP. Critically sized osteo-periosteal femoral defects: a dog model. Journal of Investigative Surgery 12:115-124, 1999.

• Colgan SA, Hecker A, Kirker-Head CA, Hayes T. Application of the Synthes AO/ASIF 4.5mm cannulated bone screw in equine bone. Vet Surgery 27:540-546, 1998.

• Kirker-Head CA. Gerhart TN, Armstrong R, Schelling S, Carmel LA. 'Healing bone using recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 and copolymer'. Clin Orthop. 349:205-217, 1998.

• Hennig G, Hay-Kraus BL, Fister R, King VL, Steckel RR ,Kirker-Head CA. Comparison of two methods for presurgical disinfection of the equine hoof. Vet Surgery. 30:366-373, 2001.

• Kirker–Head CA, Nevins M, Palmer R, Nevins M, Schelling SH: A new animal model for maxillary sinus floor augmentation: Evaluation parameters. Dental Implantology (Japanese edition of original manuscript listed below). 4:87-95, 1997