Research Mission
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The Kloefkorn Lab engineers innovative solutions to unravel the intricate interplay between circadian rhythms and degenerative diseases, particularly between sleep and osteoarthritis. Through collaborative, multidisciplinary approaches, we create noninvasive technologies to assess pathogenic behavior and physiology in preclinical rodent models. We then use these tools to examine mechanisms for how circadian rhythm disruption contributes to osteoarthritis onset and progression. With the ultimate goal of improving daily care of osteoarthritis patients, our research encompasses key areas such as
investigating the links between sleep disruption, pain, and osteoarthritis,
examining sex-specific differences in osteoarthritis pathogenesis, and
addressing issues related to experimental bias within preclinical rodent models.
Investigating the links between sleep,
pain, and osteoarthritis
Investigating the links between sleep,
pain, and osteoarthritis
Approximately 25% of US adults experience knee pain, contributing to the growing issue of chronic pain, impacting well-being, and straining healthcare costs. Chronic pain often leads to sleep problems and affects the nervous system. Unfortunately, this trio of pain, sleep, and neurological changes remains inadequately understood, hindering treatment. Our group applies electrophysiology techniques to central and peripheral nervous system tissues to explore this pain-sleep-brain axis. We aim to answer questions like:
where does knee pain originate?
does osteoarthritis pain include neuropathic pain? If so, how can we measure it?
how does sleep quality exacerbate or mitigate pain experience?
Examining sex-specific differences in osteoarthritis pathogenesis
Examining sex-specific differences in osteoarthritis pathogenesis
Osteoarthritis exhibits a higher prevalence in women, who not only experience a greater severity of tissue damage and symptoms but also display sex-specific variations in this condition attributed to hormonal factors, joint structure disparities, and genetic predispositions. Recognizing these distinctions is crucial for customizing treatment and management strategies for those with osteoarthritis. Within our research group, we investigate sex-specific differences in osteoarthritis through the use of preclinical models, enabling us to address questions such as:
What are the underlying mechanisms that drive sex-specific differences in the development and progression of osteoarthritis?
Are there diagnostic sex-specific biomarkers that can predict osteoarthritis?
What are the sex-specific differences in osteoarthritis pain perception and response to pain management strategies? Can tailored pain management approaches be developed for male and female patients?
How do sex-specific variations in biomechanics, sleep, and pain contribute to the differences in osteoarthritis outcomes? Can these insights lead to novel therapeutic targets for both sexes?
Fabricating noninvasive technology and analytics to understand preclinical
pathogenic behavior and physiology
Fabricating noninvasive technology and analytics to understand preclinical
pathogenic behavior and physiology
Preclinical models are a critical foundation for understanding disease and testing potential therapeutics, but their strength lies in accurately understanding the rodent experience. Many gold standard preclinical assessment tools are qualitative, inherently subjective, invasive, or highly stressful leading to confounding experimental results. Our group develops noninvasive, quantitative technologies and automated analytics to better measure rodent behavior and physiology within the context of osteoarthritis pathogenesis. Our technologies and analytics include:
instrumented environmentally-controlled homecages
electric field sensor technology to continuously capture fine and gross motor movements (especially distinguishing between rapid eye movement [REM] and NREM sleep)
machine learning algorithm to quantify rodent homecage behaviors
ultrasonic microphones to track rodent language associated with osteoarthritis onset and progression
Understanding and mitigating experimental bias
Understanding and mitigating experimental bias
Reproducibility issues and environmental influences can undermine credibility of preclinical studies. As research techniques become more sensitive, environmental factors can have a greater impact and lead to introduction of experimental bias or misinterpretation of results. This is a significant problem in preclinical research, where findings often fail to translate into practical solutions. While organizations like the NSF and NIH recognize this issue, most researchers lack practical tools to control for environmental influences in their work. Our group aims to understand how environmental factors affect rodent behavior and physiology to then develop tools and recommendations to control for these influences.
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