Regenerative Forschung
Intervertebral disc regeneration
The intervertebral disc (IVD) research team is part of the Department of Spine Surgery (Chairman Prof. Dr. Stefan Schären) and brings together clinical expertise (PD Dr. med. Arne Mehrkens) with musculoskeletal biology/tissue engineering approach (Dr. Olga Krupkova), to solve a significant clinical problem, low back pain and degenerative disc disease. The IVD team works in close collaboration with the Cartilage Engineering group (Prof. Andrea Barbero, Department of Biomedicine). Interdisciplinary collaborations with leaders in the field are of key importance for our translational research activity. We are collaborating with Prof. Mark Erwin (University Toronto in Toronto, Canada), Dr. Paola Occhetta (Politecnico di Milano, Italy), Prof. Karin Wuertz-Kozak (Rochester Institute of Technology, USA), Prof. Jivko Stoyanov (Swiss Paraplegic Research Institute, Switzerland), or Prof. Antonio Pozzi (Vetsuisse Faculty, Zurich, Switzerland).
Our goal is to develop a minimally-invasive biological therapy for degenerative disc disease, a painful pathology arising from the IVD. Using diverse micro- and macroscale in vitro and ex vivo models we investigate mechanisms underlying interactions between IVD tissue and therapeutic cells (namely nasal chondrocytes) and apply these findings to improve their resistance to harsh microenvironment typically present in degenerated IVD tissue. We also explore experimental gene therapy (CRISPR) and novel disease-modifying approaches to increase the performance of therapeutic cells in degenerated IVD, specifically by targeting their metabolic and inflammation responses. Promising treatment candidates will proceed towards clinical translation at the Department of Spine Surgery, USB.
We are confident and optimistic, that we will be able to offer a minimal invasive – non surgical – treatment to some of our patients suffering from degenerative disc disease in the near future.
Our Team
Dr. Arne Mehrkens is an orthopedic trained spine surgeon and surgeon scientist.
During his clinical orthopedic training he has spent a year in the Tissue Engineering Lab of Prof. Ivan Martin working with the stromal vascular fraction of adipose tissue developing a “direct approach” to enhance healing in fractures with bone defects. During his fellowship in complex spine surgery in Toronto, Canada, he has also spent time in Prof. Mark Ewin’s lab at the Toronto Western Research Institute where he has focused on pathophysiology and treatments of degenerative disc disease. After his return to Basel, he initiated the Intervertebral Disc Research Team which is closely affiliated to the Tissue Engineering Group at the DBM.
To date, AM has received several third-party grants and has authored a number of publications in international peer-reviewed journals.
As a clinician with a very busy practice and a background in basic research he is constantly working on how to translate the findings from the lab to treatment of his patients.
Dr. Olga Krupkova obtained her PhD in musculoskeletal biology at ETH Zurich and continued her postdoctoral research in the intervertebral disc (IVD) field at the University of Zurich, ETH Zurich, and University Hospital Basel. During her career, she identified new therapeutic targets and anti-inflammatory compounds for the treatment of degenerative disc disease (DDD), followed by research on nano-/microencapsulation and drug delivery into the IVD. Her work focuses on the development of disease-mimicking models and advanced therapies (microenvironment-resistant cell therapy, CRISPR/dCas9, personalized approach). To date, OK has received multiple third-party grants and authored a number of publications in international peer-reviewed journals.
We welcome motivated students and researchers to work in our team. For more details about available projects please contact olga.krupkova@usb.ch
Contact
If you are interested, please feel free to get in touch with us
Arne.Mehrkens@usb.ch
olga.krupkova@usb.ch