Researchers at Scottish Rite for Children received a five-year, $2.3 million NIH grant to study osteonecrosis, a condition caused by reduced blood flow that weakens and destroys bone and affects nearly 20,000 Americans each year.
The study, led by Yinshi Ren, Ph.D., principal investigator and scientist at Scottish Rite for Children and assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center, will focus on how malfunctioning bone repair cells may contribute to osteonecrosis and Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. Treatment for Perthes disease, a rare childhood hip disorder, does not slow the progression, rather it relies on surgery and other interventions to protect the joint. Ren’s research will potentially pave the way for new therapies.
