Research in Action: - University of Calgary

Sometimes in the study of biomechanics, the emphasis is on the mechanical. “We take a $400,000
research microscope, rip it apart—void the warranty—and build these loading devices that fit on top
of them,” says Dr. John Matyas. “Then we take a piece of tissue and crunch it in a way that allows us
to assess its mechanical function.” Matyas is a self-described “egghead scientist” in the new Faculty of
Veterinary Medicine who investigates the basic mechanisms of arthritis. Degenerative joint diseases have
been a long-term focus of his research. His work is as relevant to veterinary joint health as it is to humans.
Understanding arthritis
He and his team use an atomic force microscope to study joint tissue biomechanics because “it allows you to
measure nanometre-length changes in individual molecules as loads are applied,” he says. This particular project
is being led by PhD student Jane Desrochers, and the information gathered is crucial because scientists now
know that cartilage, far from being “a piece of linoleum,” is full of cells that respond to load. Studying those cell
responses in normal and injured cartilage can give insight into how arthritis is initiated and how it progresses.
Using MRI
Kelsey Mountain is a PhD student studying how magnetic resonance imaging might be used in this investigation.
Because cartilage is 80 percent water it cannot be seen in X-rays, but “shows up beautifully on MRI.” So Matyas
and his lab partners turned their mechanical expertise to building a non-magnetic device that allows them to
subject tissue to loads while in a MRI machine.
The ultimate goal—and it may be five or 10 years down the road—is to be able to assess “the functional quality
of joint cartilages while people are standing in an MRI,” Matyas says. Clinicians would be able to see if patients
have arthritis, how fast it progresses (MRIs can be done repeatedly), and if their treatments are effective.
One of those treatments is the subject of an investigation led by PhD student Jaymi Cormier, who is looking at
how stem cells might be used to promote the healing of fractures. Mouse stem cells are “pushed” into becoming
either bone cells or cartilage cells. Then, using what Matyas calls “genetic sleight of hand” the cells are tagged
with a fluorescent protein so they can be easily tracked. “The idea is to take these cells, put them in a controlled
fracture setting and see whether or not they affect healing,” Matyas says.
30 UofC Research in Action
Dr. John Matyas has lots of irons
in the fire in his quest to improve
the health of joints in both animals
and humans.