Research in Action: - University of Calgary

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Whether it’s an aching back or a sore neck, there’s no escaping the fact that our bodies deteriorate as we grow older. But the next generation of biomedical researchers is offering new hope that it might not have to be that way. No, they haven’t found a miracle cure to old age, but they are on the leading edge of research that aims to develop new therapies for conditions such as intervertebral disc degeneration in the spine, lower back pain and osteoporosis. 16 UofC Research in Action The next generation “By the time people reach middle age, hardly anyone has a full set of healthy discs,” says Jana McMillan, who is pursuing her master’s of science in biomedical engineering at the Schulich School of Engineering. She’s analyzing the mechanics of how the breakdown of intervertebral discs occurs in the spine which, in some cases, results in various forms of back pain. “The big picture goal is to be able to develop something to help diagnose these conditions, because right now if people have a disc problem like a prolapse, they might not even have pain,” she says. By examining the “communication” between cells of the outer layer of the disc, she hopes her research will result in better ways to test for and identify small tears that could lead to bigger problems. Another goal is to develop tissue engineering treatments by manufacturing discs to replace ones that are injured. “They haven’t had much luck developing a replacement disc that works very well yet,” says McMillan. Muscle interplay with bone Over in the Faculty of Kinesiology, graduate student Sarah Manske is exploring the fascinating interplay between muscle and bone—specifically how low-amplitude, high-frequency vibration created by muscle contraction may be an important stimulation for increased bone strength. Her hypothesis is that as our activity levels typically decrease with age, our decreasing muscle mass is a contributing factor to osteoporosis. While working toward her PhD in kinesiology (biomedical engineering), Manske is using Botox to temporarily paralyze muscles in mice, causing decreased muscle and bone mass, then adding a high-frequency vibration to stimulate the pathways and then measure its effects. Research using a vibration platform that accomplishes this task in humans is already underway in the U.S. Children with cerebral palsy or elderly adults stand on the platforms each day for 15 minutes and are then measured to see if they experience increased muscle and bone density and strength as a result. “It could be implemented on a widespread basis, so we’re trying to find out why it works and how to optimize it for the best possible result,” says Manske. For graduate students like Jana McMillan and Sarah Manske, researching ways to improve health is just part of the program.
Graduate students Jana McMillan and Sarah Manske are researching ways to help with back pain, osteoporosis and cerebral palsy. Biomedical Engineering: The Students 17
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Page 5 and 6: Dr. Naweed Syed’s “brain on a c
Page 7 and 8: Dr. Garnette Sutherland was the fir
Page 9 and 10: Dr. Michael Colicos is using bio-co
Page 11 and 12: Medical Imaging Using tissue sensin
Page 13 and 14: Dr. Brad Goodyear is using MRI tech
Page 15 and 16: Dr. Kristina Rinker is developing m
Page 17: “The goal of my research is to de
Page 21 and 22: Dr. Howard Ceri is using technology
Page 23 and 24: One element of Dr. Cy Frank’s res
Page 25 and 26: Dr. Janet Ronsky’s Eagle Brace is
Page 27 and 28: Unlike most people who remove tissu
Page 29 and 30: Dr. Andrea Clark is studying why th
Page 31 and 32: Dr. Nigel Shrive is sorting out whe
Page 33 and 34: Dr. John Matyas uses, among other t
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Research in Action: - University of Calgary

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