Winter 2015

Advances in Motion

McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health

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McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health

www.mccaiginstitute.com The Power of Collaboration

As many of you know, Dr. Nigel Shrive completed his term as Director

of the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health (MIBJH) at the end of

December 2014. His 6.5 years as Interim Director and Director were

full of growth and expansion. Inarguably, one of his most significant

accomplishments was creating a culture of collaboration in research

that spanned across the province of Alberta and helped the Institute

gain an international reputation.

Save the Date!

Power of Movement

March 8, 2015 A public yoga event to raise funds for arthritis research. To register go to: www.powerofmovement.ca

Expressions of Arthritis

Upcoming workshops are scheduled for April, June and November 2015. Please check the website for details.

www.mccaiginstitute.com/new-page-3

Encore: Music in Motion

October 6, 2015 This charity concert will raise

funds for bone and joint initia-

tives in Alberta. Stay tuned!

More information to follow.

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The MIBJH is known for its inclusive and comprehensive approach to doing bone and joint research. Its member-ship includes researchers from biomedical engineering, kinesiologists, rheumatologists, orthopaedic surgeons, cell biologists, health system experts, and members of veterinary medicine. This multidisciplinary team ap-proach has resulted in comprehensive research, and will continue to facilitate approaches to research that are unconventional and rewarding to both patients and re-searchers alike.

Beneficial examples of multidisciplinary research re-cently conducted by MIBJH members under Nigel’s di-rection include the application of engineering fracture mechanics principles to remodeling scar tissue, and the use of bioinformatics to facilitate the diagnosis of osteo-arthritis (OA) via blood sample. Applying engineering techniques in the study of fracture mechanics of injured tissues has led to the explanation as to why scars are weaker than undamaged tissue, and why scars become stronger over time. Through the use of a mathe-matical technique designed to make decisions by mimicking the way we believe the human brain to function (by developing an artificial neural network) researchers were able to use blood serum biomarker data to di-agnose rheumatoid arthritis, mild to moderate OA or advanced OA patients with surprising accuracy.

Over the last few years Nigel has strengthened provincial ties, joining efforts with Dr. Linda Woodhouse who is the Chair of Musculoskeletal Research in the Department of Rehabilitation, University of Alberta. As a re-sult, the MIBJH’s membership expanded to include researchers from Edmonton.

Collaboration has been Nigel’s modus operandi from the get go. Nigel’s own research projects in bone and joint started when he partnered with orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Cy Frank in 1978. Through robotics they now examine how knee joints are loaded throughout the gait cycle and explore the development of osteoarthri-tis. In addition, Nigel was part of a multi-million dollar research grant called the OA Team Grant that studied osteoarthritis from various angles and expertise.

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Dr. Nigel Shrive

McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health Winter 2015

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Collaborative efforts over the last few years developed into partnerships be-tween three provincial authorities in bone and joint health: the MIBJH, the Al-berta Bone and Joint Health Institute (ABJHI), and the Bone and Joint Health Strategic Clinical Network (BJHSCN). The BJHSCN is a branch of Alberta Health Services (AHS) that examines ways of improving the health system with the implementation of best practices for addressing bone and joint diseases. The ABJHI is an independent organization that examines and tests the efficacy of research results that are produced by the MIBJH for implementation by BJHSCN. The partnership between these three (MIBJH, ABJHI, and BJHSCN) produces a pipeline that allows research to be efficiently tested and imple-mented into the health care system.

This pipeline also works in reverse, with clinicians from the BJHSCN having a means of presenting problems that need scientific research and mandating MIBJH researchers to find solutions.

Dr. Nigel Shrive continues his research in osteoarthritis and mentors MSc, PhD and post-doctoral trainees; many of who have received national scholarships and have taken what they learned from him to inter-national platforms.

Dr. Nigel Shrive

Drs. Donna Wood &

Nigel Shrive Dr. Nigel Shrive & Terri May Dr. Yamini Achari, Kristen Barton, Dr. Mohammad

Atarod, Mehdi Shekarforoush, & John Sevick

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Message from the Interim Director, Dr.

The McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health (MIBJH) has just

gone through a leadership change with the completion of Dr. Nigel

Shrive’s term at the end of December. There was uniform apprecia-

tion for the personal time and effort that Dr. Shrive committed to

the MIBJH and his desire to see MIBJH be highly successful. His

achievements are highlighted in the quality of collaborative bone

and joint research now evident in the province of Alberta.

After discussions with the Cumming School of Medicine’s Dean and

Associate Dean of Research (University of Calgary), I have agreed to

serve as Interim Director for 2015. I have an emotional and moral

affiliation with the MIBJH. I have been a member since its inception

and, until I closed my clinical rheumatology practice, the founder and patriarch of the Institute, Mr. Bud

McCaig was my patient. At this stage of my academic career I am not an empire builder. However, I would

like to think that after more than 40 years in academia and 15 years of experience with the Government of

Alberta as Chair of the Alberta Research and Innovation Authority I know something about policy and strate-

gy, innovation, foresighting, key elements of governance, a solid business plan, how to promote a cause, and,

most importantly, patience and building trust.

The path forward and my personal agenda from 2015 will include ensuring that an established, vibrant insti-

tute is in place for the newly recruited and/or appointed director of the MIBJH. In order to achieve this, we

will review and, where necessary, remediate governance as well as administrative and accountability path-

ways. The revised leadership will be represented by a cross section of core competencies and will demon-

strate our distinctive inter-faculty and multidisciplinary membership. We will define a new mandate that is

distinct from the other research institutes at the Cumming School of Medicine while also strengthening affili-

ations with them. A review of our infrastructure, core labs and equipment will ensure we are able to produce

the highest quality of research. We will also strive to elevate the MIBJH’s role in education and mentorship.

In addition, to ensure we are best serving the community in which we operate, we will develop a more com-

prehensive communications and knowledge translation strategy so that our achievements are clearly com-

municated to the public and our stakeholders.

We have a busy year ahead and I look forward to working with all of you in building up the McCaig Institute

for Bone and Joint Health as a successful and efficient research institute for the benefit of all Albertans.

Dr. Marv Fritzler

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Expressions of Childhood Arthritis

Children with arthritis suffer from lifelong joint pain and impaired mobility. Desperate to keep up with their peers and “be normal” they quietly endure hardships and often have no way of expressing their emotions.

Art is a kind and creative way of expressing individual physical and emotion-al experiences. To give children living with arthritis a voice through art, the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health (MIBJH) partnered with the Paediatric Rheumatology Team at the Alberta Children’s Hospital and TELUS Spark to host a unique and creative workshop on September 20th, 2014. It was guided by Calgary-based artist, Bev Kelly, who herself suffers from chronic joint pain. Bev enthusiastically engaged children in the creative process and enabled them to express physical and emotional experiences through their artwork.

The overwhelming positive response of participating children and their families laid the foundation for the development of a unique “Expressions of Arthritis” art program at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. This pro-gram is led by Dr. Paivi Miettunen, Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, with support from Dr. Jaymi Taiani, Knowledge Translation Specialist from the MIBJH. This initiative stemmed from a unique partnership be-tween the Alberta Children’s Hospital, the MIBJH and the Department of Art at University of Calgary. The ACH Foundation has kindly sponsored space and personnel to support this program, and we have received generous donations from the Mamdani Family Foundation and The Calgary Foundation.

Since the first workshop in September, Dr. Paivi Miettunen has engaged internationally known artists, who have since enthusiastically committed to hosting four Calgary-based workshops in 2015. Each workshop will focus on the use of a different artistic medium: sculpting, collage, painting, and drawing. The first workshop was lead by Alicia Ponzio, a San Francisco based sculptor, who also teaches at Pixar Studios. It was held on January 10, 2015 and focused on hands-on sculpting experience - it was a great success!

Our vision is to establish an innovative program that gives a voice through art to all Canadian children with arthritis and other chronic diseases.

To see a video from our first workshop, please visit:

http://www.mccaiginstitute.com/new-page-3/

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The 15th Annual Alberta Biomedical Engineering Conference took place in Banff, Alberta from October 24 to 26, 2014. The event brought together biomedical engineering experts and students from the University of Lethbridge, University of Alberta, and the University of Calgary. This event was successfully co-chaired by Roman Krawetz, PhD (University of Calgary), Michael Kallos, PhD (University of Calgary), and Christopher Dennison, PhD (University of Alberta). University of Calgary students who organized and fund-raised for the event include Maria Engel, Chris Sarsons, Isaac Calvillo, Sohail Noor, Sam Dorosz and Ali Melia.

“I continue to be impressed by the quality of research presentations coming from the students who attend this conference,” says University of Calgary Biomedical En-gineering Graduate Program Director, Dr. Michael Kallos. “It is also important to note that the organization of the Alberta BME Conference could not be done with-out the huge effort of trainees – this is truly a unique Alberta event and our na-tional and international guest speakers always provide positive feedback.”

This three-day conference provided a platform for many McCaig Institue trainees to gain experience as presenters of their research. Podium and poster presentations were given by trainees Scott Moorman, Kevin Shin, Krysta Powers, Kate O’Brien, Ka-leena Johnston, K. R Boldt, Katherine Archibold, Scott Sibole, Rafael Fortuna, Stefan Hoerzer, Andres Kroker, Erin Hildebrandt, Shah Iqbal, Hendrik Enders, Paria Vakil, Mehdi Sekarforoush, and Karri Bertram. In total there were 52 posters presented and 30 podium presentations. Topics varied from bone strength, synovial fluid, effectiveness of footwear insole or orthotics, muscle weakness and loss, lubricin, and bone amputation prostheses. John Sevick, Eng Kuan Moo, Mohsen Maleki and Jane Desrochers served as podium session chairs.

McCaig Institute researchers Drs. Brent Edwards, Carolyn Anglin, Steven Boyd, Neil Duncan, and John Ber-tram also participated as abstract reviewers and poster judges. Congratulations to Rafael Fortuna who land-ed second place for his podium presentation on “Persistent muscle weakness and contractile material loss in a clinically relevant Botulinum toxin type-A (BTX-A) injection protocol”.

The McCaig Institute supports this annual conference as it provides an important opportunity to its trainees to develop academically, not to mention the valuable experience they gain as volunteers and organizers. The 16th Annual Alberta Biomedical Engineering Conference is scheduled for Friday, November 5th to Sunday, No-vember 7th, 2015, at the Banff Park Lodge, Banff, Alberta, Canada.

Trainees Impress at the Biomedical Engineering Conference

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Featured Trainee, Leah Allen

Leah is an MSc candidate conducting research under the supervision of Dr. Arindom Sen. She is focused on using stem cells to tissue-engineer cartilage. The cartilage present in our joints act as a shock absorber and provide a smooth surface for our bones to glide over during movement. A defect in this cartilage can occur due to genetics, sports injuries or simply wear and tear over a person’s lifetime. If a cartilage defect is not treated, the cartilage can further degenerate into the debilitating disease known as osteoarthritis, which currently affects over 4.5 million Canadians. The cells Leah uses for her research are found in the lubricating fluid within the knee joint. Leah’s research team is unique because they are trying to get these cells to aggre-gate together in bioreactors to form the cartilage tissue. Bioreactors are vessels that are easily scalable. Therefore, if the cartilage her group is making in the bioreactors proves to be useful, the process can easily be expanded to treat more people. The hope is that one day the cartilage they make will be used to fill

defects in the cartilage and prevent osteoarthritis.

In the future Leah hopes to be admitted to medical school. She is interested in becoming a clinician-researcher who under-stands the medicine, but also has the expertise to translate re-search into clinical practice. Her advise for new research stu-dents is to find a research project that they are truly interested in. If they are passionate about their research, even the smallest research findings will feel like major accomplishments.

Research that Stands Out

The McCaig Institute produces some of Canada’s most brilliant research in bone and joint health. As a result,

its members are frequently recognized with prestigious prizes and awards. Here are some that have come to

the spot light lately.

Vanier Scholars

There were eleven Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships given to University of Cal-

gary PhD students, two of which were secured by the McCaig Institute’s Kristen Bar-

ton and Dr. Claire Barber.

This national award is given to students whose research have great potential and

who are seen as future world-class leaders in their fields.

PhD candidate Dr. Claire Barber is a rheumatologist whose research focuses on the

development and testing of cardiovascular quality indicators for rheumatoid arthri-

tis. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects 1% of the population and is a major cause of

disability in Canada. Patients with RA have a substantially increased rate of death

due to cardiovascular disease compared to the general population.

Leah Allen

Dr. Claire Barber

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Some of this is due to the effects of chronic inflammation although there is also substantial evidence that pa-

tients with RA are under-screened and managed for traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as hyperten-

sion and high cholesterol. Claire has developed a set of 11 cardiovascular quality indicators through a rigor-

ous process that involved an international panel of clinicians and experts. The prestigious Vanier scholarship

will help her to continue her research and test her quality indicators in clinical prac-

tice and develop strategies for improving the quality of care for patients with rheu-

matoid arthritis.

Kristen Barton is a MD and PhD candidate who was recognized as a leader in the Medicine combined MD/PhD program. Kristen’s research is in joint injury and oste-oarthritis development. Specifically, her project is in controlling inflammation after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and the impact on the development of oste-oarthritis. Kristen uses a sheep model to study both biology and biomechanics of the knee joint and assesses how inflammation may impact function, as well as the biological integrity of the knee joint tissues. Her project looks at the effect of gluco-corticoid treatment on osteoarthritis development after ACL injury. Kristen is aim-ing to complete a residency program in orthopaedic surgery.

Killam Awards Kelsey Collins was recently named a Killam scholar for her research in

osteoarthritis (OA). Experts agree that the most modifiable risk factor

for preventing OA is obesity. Our western diets are typically high in

fats and sugars and often lead to obesity. OA and obesity are linked to

inflammation, and long-term chronic low-level inflammation is related

to the development of joint damage, progressing to OA. Recently, Kel-

sey and her colleagues have shown that a high-fat and high-sugar diet

can lead to OA related changes in the knees of rats. In addition to the

effects on cartilage, obesity-induced OA may result in muscle weakness. However, the exact science behind

the relationship behind diet-induced obesity, muscle weakness, and body fat and OA is poorly understood,

though clinically significant. Kelsey’s work aims to provide molecular explanations for muscle loss and OA

development. Understanding muscle changes in the context of obesity-induced OA

is critical to developing exercise plans for OA patients.

Hayley Britz was also named a Killam scolar. Hayley’s PhD research at the University of Calgary is co-supervised by Benedikt Hallgrimsson and Steven Boyd and exam-ines the role of genetics and cortical bone microarchitecture in osteoporotic bone fragility.

Osteoporosis is a heritable bone disease which is characterized by decreased bone mass and a deterioration in bone microarchitecture. This leads to an increased fra-gility of the skeleton, and therefore the risk of fracturing is greater in people who have been diagnosed as being osteoporotic. Continued in page 9...

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How osteoporosis is inherited is still unknown, which presents a major challenge to develop a more effective treatment or cure for this devastating disease.

The Diversity Outbred (DO) mouse population is a new resource for studying medically relevant traits. This is a powerful study option that reflects the genetic mechanisms of human disease due to the genetic diversity found within this population. More specifically, the DO mouse population will allow Hayley to identify and map major quantitative trait loci, which are highly localized genetic regions involved in heritability, for bone strength. The results from this study will ultimately lead to a better understanding of how specific traits, such as bone strength, related to bone diseases like osteoporosis are inherited. This knowledge could potentially lead to studies looking at tailoring drugs to specific genotypes to provide a more effective treatment for bone diseases such as osteoporosis.

The Killam Pre-Doctoral Scholarship supports advanced education and research in five Canadian universities.

Congratulations also to Walter Herzog for the Killam Memorial Chair and Carolyn Emery for the Killam

Emerging Research Leader Award, CIHR!

Congratulations!

Nick Mohtadi was named new director of the Sport Medicine Centre at the University of Calgary.

Charlie Hsu, Ying Zhu, Ian Smith and Jillian Beveridge received Alberta Innovates Health Solutions postgradu-

ate fellowships.

Tannin Schmidt received Canada Foundation for Innovation funding

Paria Vakil received an American scholarship from the Force and Motion Foundation.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has extended support for the Sport Injury Prevention Research

Centre (SIPRC) until 2019.

Dr. Glen Hazlewood received the Canadian Rheumatology Association’s Best Clinical Research Award by a

young investigator.

Dr. Claire Barber received the Canadian Rheumatology Association’s best abstract award.

Congratulations to all faculty members and trainees that have been

awarded!

For more information about the McCaig Institute’s newsletter please contact Elisa Park Kim at

parke@ucalgary.ca

www.mccaiginstitute.com

3280 Hospital Dr NW, Calgary, Ab, T2N 4Z6