Mechanisms of neurogenic heterotopic ossification after spinal cord injury
UQ Winter Research Program Project 2025
Neurogenic heterotopic ossifications (NHOs) are extra-skeletal bones that develop around joints after severe central nervous system injury. NHOs are incapacitating as they impair flexing of the affected joint and without intervention or surgical excision they can lead to major motor incapacitation. As the pathogenesis of NHOs is poorly understood, there are no diagnostic tools to predict NHO development in patients. To address these challenges, our team investigates mechanisms of NHO development in a pre-clinical model of NHO after spinal cord injury to discover new therapeutics and predictive biomarkers. The aim of this project is to investigate the expression of numerous inflammatory and osteogenic differentiation markers in NHO tissues by qRTPCR.
Duration - 4 weeks during the UQ Winter Research Program (30 June – 25 July25)
Hours of engagement must be between 24-36hrs per week