Overview
Topic status: We're looking for students to study this topic.
Approximately 11,000 anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee reconstructions occur in Australia each year.
Recent Magnetic Resonance Imaging analysis indicates that "bone bruising" is often associated with ACL injury and this contributes to microscopic chondrocyte damage and may lead to eventual chondral loss from underlying and adjacent support structures. The effect of surgical intervention and recovery processes on the microstructure of healing ACL and adjacent support structures are not well understood. Current MRI techniques to assess the recovery status of a healing injury are time consuming and not practical to perform at frequent intervals in the early recovery period.
This project aims to discover diagnostic biomarkers of ACL injury and repair processes prior to and following surgical treatment of acute ACL injury. To achieve this, the candidate (student) will combine current MRI technologies and advanced mass spectrometry based proteomics techniques to develop diagnostic tools which can be used to reliably quantify and monitor articular cartilage damage and regeneration before it is macroscopically obvious.
The successful candidate will have a demonstrated capacity to undertake research (for example: successful completion of a relevant Honours degree in the biomedical / life sciences, preferably in the area of proteomics or biochemistry).
This is a collaborative and multidisciplinary project between researchers at the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI) at QUT and the Sydney Orthopaedics Research Institute (SORI).
Methods and techniques that will be developed in the course of this project:
This project will adopt cutting edge proteomic biomarker detection techniques such as surface enhanced laser desorption/ionisation time of flight mass spectrometry (SELDI TOF MS), high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LCMS/MS), 2D-gel electrophoresis incl 2D-DIGE as well as more traditional protein biochemistry techniques such as SDS PAGE and western blot analysis.
- Study level
- PhD
- Supervisors
- QUT
- Organisational unit
Science and Engineering Faculty
- Research area
- Contact
- Please contact the supervisor.
Dr Tony Parker
Emeritus Professor Tony Parker
