Core Services
The Core Services in the Center for Musculoskeletal Research (CMSR) are a result of the strategic restructuring of resources in order to improve efficiency, accelerate the pace of research, and facilitate the translational studies of our NIH-funded research programs. Over the past several years, the CMSR Cores have undergone dramatic expansion and were reorganized into two primary Cores: the Histology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Imaging (HBMI) Core, and the Biomechanics and Multimodal Tissue Imaging (BMTI) Core. Each of the Cores maintains integral service programs.
The HBMI Core is composed of three service programs including: 1) the Histology, Immunohistochemistry (IHC), and In Situ Hybridization (ISH) Program; 2) the Microscopy, Histomorphometry, and Imaging Program; and 3) the Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology Program. Leadership for the HBMI Core is provided by Dr. Brendan Boyce and Dr. Alayna Loiselle.
The BMTI Core is composed of five service programs including: 1) the Biomechanics Program; 2) the Intravital Multiphoton Imaging Program; 3) the MicroCT Imaging Program; 4) the Multispectral Molecular Imaging Program; and 5) the Dynamic Ultrasound Imaging Program. Leadership for the BMTI Core is provided by Dr. Hani Awad and Dr. Shu-Chi (Allison) Yeh.
The MEB Core Services include state-of-the-art equipment for continuous (24/7) voluntary wheel running, treadmill exercise/fatigue, grip strength, and whole body plethysmography in awake, non-restrained mice. Leadership for the MEB Core is provided by Dr. Robert Dirksen and Dr. John Lueck.
Integration of these services into the HBMI, BMTI, and MEB Cores continue to promote improved understanding of the interplay between biochemical and molecular signals and the cellular responses to tissue repair, exercise, and regeneration, and enables advances in the translation of basic principles to clinical practice. The Cores also develop new techniques that continue to transform our ability to understand disease and developmental processes of bone, cartilage, and muscle in animals and humans.