High Resolution Mapping of Bone: The Future for the Pathogenesis of Osteoarthritis

This work will focus on unlocking the physicochemical properties of osteoarthritic (OA) tissue, providing a new fundamental model for osteoarthritis progression and a new insight into the pathogenesis of this condition. This exciting research project will predominantly investigate the spatial variations in the physiochemical properties of OA and non-diseased tissue through high resolution mapping, in order to reveal how and why bone might be changing as OA progresses. This project will give the successful candidate the opportunity to work principally with groups at Duke University in the US and Melbourne University in Australia.

We are looking for a well-qualified and motivated individual to conduct research that will examine the physicochemical characteristics of osteoarthritic bone in order to develop new, unconventional biomarkers with diagnostic and prognostic ability.

The project will investigate characteristics which can be obtained from a variety of complementary physical techniques including imaging, diffraction, spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Crucially, the project will investigate protocols to register the maps from different techniques, providing a complete picture of the regional variations across the bone. This is challenging research with the potential for very high rewards in terms of providing a new insight into the pathogenesis of this condition.