Seminars

Mechanical loading is critical to the growth, development and repair of musculoskeletal tissues, particularly bone and cartilage. While this role for mechanical stimuli is recognized, the mechanisms of musculoskeletal adaptation to mechanical stimuli are not well understood. We have developed in vivo models of controlled mechanical loading as tools to examine mechanotransduction in bone and other musculoskeletal tissues that enable us to determine the in vivo mechanics and examine the subsequent tissue response and associated signaling. This talk will summarize our recent work examining in vivo musculoskeletal adaptation in mouse models, focusing on increasing bone mass and load-induced development of osteoarthritis.