Research Progress Related to Growth Plate Injuries

The NIAMS and the National Institutes of Health support research and scientists to seek better ways to diagnose and treat growth plate injuries and to improve patient outcomes. Examples of such work include:

• Investigating the factors that regulate growth plate chondrocytes. These cells are essential to growth at the ends of the bones.
• Exploring the molecular mechanisms regulating growth plate development and the mechanisms responsible for growth.
• Identifying predictors for premature closure of the growth plate following fractures. By predicting the injuries most likely to result in arrested growth, doctors could opt to treat them differently and more aggressively.
• Development of methods to regenerate musculoskeletal tissue by using principles of tissue engineering.