Description

The activities of the Line of research aim at:

• defining the ezio-pathogenetic mechanisms of musculoskeletal diseases of great social impact and of inflammatory, degenerative, autoimmune, metabolic and aging-associated origin, including genetic musculoskeletal and rare diseases;
• identifying the local and systemic modifications caused in the body by the aforementioned diseases and/or by their related treatment, including infections;
• testing innovative therapies, both pharmacological and rehabilitative, and defining the biological bases of individual reactions to drugs, in terms of efficacy, adverse reactions and cost/benefit ratio.

Introduction

Musculoskeletal pathologies, prevalently growing due to population ageing, represent the most common cause of chronic pain and disability in Italy. They include a wide spectrum of conditions; consequently, the development of the Line of research will have to avail itself of an integrated network of multidisciplinary competences, complementary to orthopedics, in the field of Rheumatology, Immunology, Genetics and rare diseases, Microbiology and Infectiology, Nursing activities, Biomechanics, e-Health, Diagnostic Imaging, Rehabilitation.
The activity is also made possible by the presence of operative resources potentiating quality research: the Genetic Biobank (BIOGEN); the collection of biological material from patients suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis, related to the Register of rheumatologic diseases and treatments (Emilia-Romagna Region); the Register of rare diseases; instrumental avant-garde resources in the diagnostic and research field.

Rationale

The efforts of translational research applied to inflammatory and degenerative diseases of the musculoskeletal system focus on three main topics, each posing an ambitious challenge:

• to improve the comprehension of ezio-pathogenetic mechanisms, in order to identify both new ones and targeted therapeutic goals; 
• to identify risk factors and specific - genetic, soluble, imaging – biomarkers, to be used as tools to improve the strategies for prevention and early diagnosis/prognosis;
• to develop a pathway addressing the optimization of different phases – prevention, diagnosis, treatment (trials) and monitoring, as well of functional monitoring of diseases – with an innovative vision of the integrated clinical management of the patient, always more compliant to precision medicine criteria, also supported by the development of instruments based on rehabilitation, information and communication (e-Health) techniques.

Overall objectives

To define ezio-pathogenetic mechanisms; to identify risk factors and biomarkers in diagnosing, prognosing and therapeutic monitoring; to validate innovative therapies; to develop biomechanical and IT models for personalized decisions; to characterize virulence factors and bacteria causing infections of the osteoarticular system and of the surgical site.