Schwarz Lab, 2010
The Schwarz laboratory focuses on finding solutions to bone loss due to conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, infections, tumors that spread to bone, and bone destruction near the implants used in reconstructive surgery. Several genes are known to turn on the healing process in bone. Dr. Schwarz's group loads these genes into harmless virus particles. The particles are coated onto experimental bone implants to deliver therapeutic genes to the area of reconstruction, thus improving bone healing. The cartilage that lines joints in mice can be encouraged to heal more completely when virus particles deliver therapeutic genes too. An additional interest of Dr. Schwarz's lab is the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and high resolution computed tomography (CT) scans to visualize the formation of new blood vessels as patients heal.
