Transgenic Models for Joint Disease

Dr. Frank Jirik and his colleagues are using a variety of different genetic models to gain insight into the causes of several different skeletal and immunological conditions, and also for evaluation of drugs capable of either preventing or slowing disease.

Dr. Jirik, a Rheumatologist, Canada Research Chair, and Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the U of C, supervises a research team that is using transgenic and other preclinical models to carry out research in the following areas: rheumatoid arthritis, auto-immunity, cancer, and the role of the normal prion protein in the immune system. His lab is also investigating the ability of certain genes to determine skeletal growth and bone structure, as well as the roles of a trace element (selenium) and two anti-oxidant vitamins in relation to bone and cartilage development and as factors controlling the severity of inflammatory arthritis.

As an excellent example of the sort of collaborative research that is possible within the MIBJH, Dr. Jirik is working closely with Drs. Steven Boyd, an Associate Professor for the U of C’s Schulich School of Engineer, and Benedikt Hallgrimsson, Associate Professor and Assistant Dean (Undergraduate Science Education) in the Faculty of Medicine, on a breast cancer project that employing both bioluminescence and microcomputed tomographic (microCT) imaging to measure the extent of bone destruction brought about by metastatic tumours. This is an important problem for study, since bone metastases and their complications are common in instances of breast cancer relapse. To identify new ways to interfere with the effects of these metastases, a variety of drugs are being evaluated for their ability either to inhibit the homing of tumor cells to the bone marrow, or to limit the extent of bone loss.

“The collaborative and collegial research environment that exists at the MIBJH provides us with a tremendous advantage,” says Dr. Jirik. “It means that our laboratory has immediate access to a broad interdisciplinary range of expertise focused on the analysis of the musculoskeletal system. Together with the availability of state-of-art instrumentation, this has enabled us to expand our research capabilities in the area of bone and joint disease, and has allowed us to contribute to the already well-recognized international profile of the MIBJH. Being engaged not only in basic biomedical research, but also preclinical translational studies, our primary goal is to make a difference in terms of improving skeletal disease detection, prevention, or treatment.”