URMC / Clinical & Translational Science Institute / Stories / February 2016 / 2015-16 Faculty Pilot Program Awardee: Emily Carmody, MD

2015-16 Faculty Pilot Program Awardee: Emily Carmody, MD

Emily Carmody, M.D. Emily Carmody, MD, Assistant Professor of Orthopaedics and Assistant Professor at the Wilmot Cancer Center will lead a team of investigators through an exciting pilot project over the next year. Dr. Carmody specializes in treating both benign and malignant musculoskeletal tumors in adults and children. She has a particular interest in limb-sparing surgery and endoprosthetic reconstruction for treating bone sarcomas. Dr. Carmody also specializes in metabolic bone disorders including osteoporosis and osteopenia.

Dr. Carmody, along with Michael Zuscik, PhD (Associate Professor of Orthopaedics) and Christopher Ritchlin (Professor of Medicine) on a pilot project entitled “Assessment of Forteo as a Therapeutic to Treat Knee Osteoarthritis.” Traditional treatment strategies for Osteoarthritis are palliative, with the focus on pain management and joint replacement. Development of disease-modifying agents that can rejuvenate cartilage is a great unmet need. Thus, development of an effective treatment for Osteoarthritis is a vital public health initiative with potential for tremendous impact.

Data mined from the NIH-sponsored Osteoarthritis Initiative revealed improved WOMAC knee function scores in arthritic subjects coincidentally prescribed Forteo to treat osteoporosis. These preclinical and human data provide compelling rationale to study Forteo as a novel Osteoarthritis therapy directed at improving joint structure and function. The central Aim of this research study is to challenge the paradigm that cartilage loss in Osteoarthritis is irreversible.

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The project described in this article was supported by a CTSI Pilot Award through the University of Rochester CTSA award number UL1 TR000042 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health. The CTSI Pilot Studies Program provides seed funding for highly innovative translational and clinical research that addresses translational research questions, and provides insights generalizable to other projects.

Read more about the Pilot Studies Program, and check out a list of our current and past awardees.

Michael Hazard | 2/18/2016