Osteogenesis Imperfecta Research

Objective: To improve the treatment and care of children and young adults with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) through advances in clinical, scientific and technical knowledge. This collaborative effort will focus on improvement in orthopaedic, dental and rehabilitative care. The terminus of the three-year effort will include several publications, annual presentations and a capstone workshop with published proceedings. Highlights of the integrated program include our board of highly qualified consultants, a committee of patients and parents and our team of researchers who have a rich history of collaboration and productivity in the proposed areas of investigation.

In order to achieve the study objectives, Shriners Hospital, Chicago will develop a collaborative research team and laboratories together with the Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Engineering Center (OREC) at Marquette University / Medical College of Wisconsin and with the national Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation (OIF). Our successful history of collaboration with these team members brings valuable expertise and significant cost-sharing to this work.

This three-year effort will address two specific aims in order to achieve the objectives. The first aim is the establishment of instruments suitable for evaluating the clinical progress of children and adolescents with OI. The second aim is the development of more reliable biomechanical models of fracture risk in the OI population.

The goal of the project is to define the differences between the surgically treated and non-treated patients with OI having scoliosis.

Shriners Hospitals for Children - Chicago/Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Trust
Co-Principal Investigators: Gerald F. Harris, Ph.D., P.E. & Peter A. Smith, M.D.
11/1/07 – 10/31/10

In collaboration with John Hopkins University
9/1/05 – 8/31/10