Baker Institute |  Former Faculty

Nancy Burton-Wurster

The Albert C. Bostwick Foundation Laboratory

Canine hip dysplasia and its painful consequence, osteoarthritis (OA) is a major problem in veterinary medicine. My particular interest is the cartilage, the wonderfully resilient tissue which resists compression and minimizes friction from joint movement, but which is compromised early in the progression to OA. One focus is the importance of a cartilage specific isoform of the glycoprotein, fibronectin, to the structure of a healthy cartilage matrix. Another focus is an in vitro model in which the application of high levels of repeated impact loading to excised cartilage disks incorporates the important role of mechanics into the investigation of the early stages of OA. We hope that these studies will someday benefit both animals and humans who suffer from osteoarthritis.