Category
Bioactive Materials/Veterinary: Protein and Vaccine Delivery
Year
2012
Institutions
McGill University Department of Surgery, Montreal, Quebec, H3G 1A4, Canada; McGill University Department of Medicine, Montreal, Quebec, H3G 1A4, Canada; Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, H3G 1A4, Canada; University of British Columbia, Faculty of Engineering, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4, Canada
Summary
Little is known about the pathogenesis of scoliosis, which is a three dimensional deformity of the spine. Mice deficient in FGF receptor 3 (FGFR3) signaling exhibit spine curvature at one month. It is hypothesized that the progressive curvature throughout life is caused in part by excessive bone cell apoptosis. A nuclear targeting sequence (NTS) in the mid-region of parathyroid hormone related protein (PTHrP) has been shown to prevent apoptosis in bone cells. Pellets (Innovative Research of America) containing NTS peptide, released to maintain a therapeutic dose for 60 days, are implanted in the concave aspect of the spines of 8 week old mice. Spine architecture and composition are evaluated by Xray, micro CT and histology.
