John Szivek, PhD
When
Building Better Joints: Recent Advances in Cartilage Regeneration
John Szivek, PhD
Director, the Robert G. Volz, MD, Orthopaedic Research Laboratory
The William and Sylvia Rubin Chair of Orthopaedic Research
Chair, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Interdisciplinary Program
About the Lecture
Over 30 million Americans suffer from painful arthritis in their joints caused by osteoarthritis. The most common types of knee pain are caused by a breakdown in cartilage. Dr. John Szivek, a senior scientist in the University of Arizona Arthritis Center, will share remarkable findings that could change the way doctors treat patients with damaged joints due to cartilage breakdown. To date, damaged joints are often replaced with metal and plastic parts which can breakdown over time and limit range of motion. Dr. Szivekand his team are continuing their advances in the growth of cartilage from stem cells taken from a patient's own body. Their discoveries have led to the growth of cartilage cells from fat tissue stem cells in this exciting advancement in modern medicine. On the pathway to building better joints, Dr. Szivek will lead participants through the current treatments for arthritis and defect repair while detailing this exciting, cutting-edge research. He will discuss the specific advances in cartilage regeneration strategies from repairing small defects to total surface replacements while detailing the key elements of joint structure and osteoarthritis. To date, Dr. Szivek has been awarded more that $4.5 million in grant funding for his research on cartilage regeneration.
About Dr. John Szivek
Dr. Szivek serves as director of the University of Arizona Orthopaedic Research Laboratory and is a senior scientist in the University of Arizona Arthritis Center. He is widely recognized for his studies on bone and cartilage regeneration with the goal of repairing damaged joints. In recent years, he and his team have focused on the complex research of re-growing hyaline articular cartilage - the cartilage that covers the surface of bone in all of our joints. Dr. Szivek is a professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Program. He is also the Chair of the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, in addition to being a member of the UA's Bio5 Institute and a member of the Departments of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. He also holds the William and Sylvia Rubin Endowed Chair in Orthopaedic Research.