OBL – Research Topics: Biophysical Stimulations

ORTHOPAEDIC BIOTECHNOLOGY LAB

Director: Dr. Laura De Girolamo

Research Topics

Biophysical Stimulations

Biophysical stimulations, such as extracorporeal shock waves (SW) and pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF), are part of the clinical practice for different musculoskeletal pathologies, in particular for what concern fracture healing and bone necrosis. Nevertheless, the biochemical mechanism underling the effect of these treatments remains elusive. The OBL is involved in the investigation of biophysical stimulation effects at the cellular level, in order to identify the mechanism of action of these treatments and enhance their use and efficacy in different pathologies. Recently, we observed that PEMFs provoke an increase in the expression of tissue specific makers and the induction of pro-regenerative and anti-inflammatory mediators on tendon cells. These results demonstrated that progenitor cells within the tissues could represent the target for specific applications aimed to exploit their regenerative potential with non-invasive treatments. Today, we are involved in the in vivo evaluation of PEMFs effect for the treatment of experimentally induced tendinopathy in a rat model developed ad hoc.