The IU Impact: Researchers across disciplines at Indiana University are driving bioscience innovations that restore and strengthen one of the most important aspects of the human body: mobility.
A child breaks a bone on the playground. An athlete tears a knee ligament. A senior adult can no longer live independently due to a broken hip. Musculoskeletal injuries and disorders affect all walks of life and can have devastating effects, especially for the growing senior population in the U.S.
Indiana University bioscience researchers and innovators are improving Hoosiers’ mobility through advancements in drug technologies and treatments that accelerate bone recovery, while boosting the state’s status as an epicenter of musculoskeletal health.
Half of women and a quarter of men over the age of 50 will suffer a bone fracture in their lifetime due to low bone density. It’s estimated that 300,000 hip fractures occur in the U.S. each year. Studies show that 20% to 30% of elderly people who fracture a hip die within a year.
“In order for Hoosiers to have the life they want, they need to be able to move well,” said Melissa Kacena, professor of orthopedic surgery at the IU School of Medicine and a leading bone researcher. “Whether it’s picking up your grandkids, running a marathon or being able to work, if we can’t move the way we want to, we aren’t living our best lives.”
World’s orthopedic capital
Orthopedic industry titans in Warsaw, Indiana, are partnering with IU to help patients move better and make orthopedic manufacturing more efficient.
More than 25 medical device companies populate a 50-mile stretch of highway from Warsaw to Fort Wayne, Indiana, earning the region the nickname of “MedTech Corridor.” Known as the orthopedic capital of the world, Warsaw is home to notable orthopedic manufacturers such as DePuy Synthes and Zimmer Biomet, and it claims almost two-thirds of the world’s market share for orthopedic devices.
This concentration of expertise underscores the mission of the Indiana Musculoskeletal Health Partnership for the Advancement of Care & Treatment. The statewide consortium, known as IMPACT, is led by Kacena, who serves as principal investigator. Amrou Awaysheh, OneAmerica Foundation Endowed Chair and associate professor of operations and supply chain management at the IU Kelley School of Business, is IMPACT’s chief technology and innovation officer; Jill Fehrenbacher, a neuroscientist at the IU School of Medicine, is the consortia’s chief learning officer.
Jim Lancaster, an orthopedic industry executive, is the interim CEO.
Through research and development, and workforce and educational training, IMPACT will advance the state’s thriving orthopedic industry. The consortium collaborates with more than 100 research, industry and clinical partners statewide, including Eli Lilly, Zimmer Biomet, IU Health, OrthoIndy, University of Notre Dame and Purdue University.
Expanding access
While IU researchers are pioneering musculoskeletal health breakthroughs, they’re also equipping other scientists across the nation with the critical data they need to accelerate discovery.
The Function, Imaging and Testing Core, or FIT Core, is part of the School of Medicine’s Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health, which Kacena leads. The FIT Core invites volunteers in Indianapolis, ages 5 to 100, to take part in physical function tests such as gait speed, balance and strength, regardless of their health status. Volunteers also undergo body composition and bone health scans.
The de-identified data gathered is added to a repository that researchers across disciplines use to understand how their study subjects compare to other populations. Around 50 approved researchers at IU and across the world currently reference the FIT Core in their work, according to Stuart Warden, FIT Core director and associate dean for research at the School of Health & Human Sciences at IU Indianapolis.
By scheduling an appointment, volunteers can discover more about their own musculoskeletal health and contribute to crucial research. Each participant receives insights on their bone and muscle health after the tests.
After participating in the FIT Core, Indianapolis resident Karen Rothbaum discovered she was at risk for osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to become weak and prone to fracturing.
“Dr. Kacena invited me to the lab to assess my risk for musculoskeletal disorders,” Rothbaum said. “Despite an athletic upbringing and a lifelong passion for tennis, I discovered I’m at risk for osteoporosis. Now I’m taking proactive steps to protect my bone health.”
Kacena is launching a mobile testing unit, taking this crucial preventive care to aging and rural communities. MSKMobile, a fully equipped mobile healthcare screening and research tool, travels across Indiana to assess volunteers’ bone mineral density and other important markers of musculoskeletal health.
Space medicine and smart manufacturing
Collaboration is at the forefront of IU research that propels musculoskeletal health. Researchers are working with partners locally and nationally.
Kacena investigates bone and blood formation to improve treatments for metabolic bone disease, blood disorders and fracture healing. This work produced a patented drug technology that speeds bone recovery. It has possible applications in helping astronauts maintain bone mass during long space missions and in treating explosives injuries, which drew interest from NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense.
Through the IU Business Sustainability and Innovation Lab at the Kelley School directed by Awaysheh, over 100 master’s students helped a Warsaw orthopedic device manufacturer create a more responsive supply chain with AI. This allows real-time data collection and adaptation, making processes more cost efficient, more responsive and smarter. It also provides physicians with more accurate implants quicker.
“Our work also extends beyond the supply chain into digitizing manufacturing,” Awaysheh said. “Think of your house. Older homes have light switches and dial thermostats. Now you see smart switches that sense when someone enters the room, and we can control the temperature remotely to only be on when the space is being used.
“These same principles are going to advance manufacturing. We can use similar concepts to digitize legacy manufacturing lines.”
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