Welcome to McKay Orthopaedic Research Laboratory
A program in orthopaedic research at the University of Pennsylvania was established in 1960, and in 1979 the McKay Orthopaedic Research Laboratory officially opened, establishing all of the orthopaedic research laboratories in the same physical location. Currently, the McKay Lab is a thriving, multidisciplinary facility that occupies more than 22,000 square feet of space in Stemmler Hall in the Perelman School of Medicine. Our multi-faceted research programs involve the participation of more than 120 research personnel from 13 distinct laboratories. Research expenditures in McKay total more than $15,000,000 per annum, supported largely through extramural funding including grants from the National Institutes of Health, Veteran's Administration, other governmental agencies, private foundations, and industry. We are consistently ranked in the top 5 among Orthopaedic Departments nationally in terms of NIH funding. Our overall mission is to conduct high quality fundamental and translational research and to train the next generation of leaders in our field. Moreover, the McKay Lab serves as the focal point for the NIH-supported Penn Center for Musculoskeletal Disorders, a university-wide Center that provides resources and a forum for scientific exchange through annual symposia, a year-long seminar series, a pilot grant program and other activities.
Our McKay Lab research includes:
- Precision rehabilitation for Achilles tendon injuries (Josh R. Baxter, Ph.D.)
- Mechanobiology of development and regeneration (Joel D. Boerckel, Ph.D.)
- Connective tissue extracellular matrix biophysics and cell biology (Charles C. Clark, Ph.D.)
- Cartilage biology, tissue engineering, and osteoarthritis related research (George R. Dodge, Ph.D.)
- Cell lineage, growth and development, and tissue-engineered repair of tendons and ligaments (Nathaniel A Dyment, Ph.D.)
- Structure-function relationships in spinal degeneration and regenerative approaches (Sarah Gullbrand, Ph.D.)
- Fracture healing, mechanotransduction, and orthopaedic implant design (Michael Hast, Ph.D.)
- Nuclear mechanobiology and tissue engineering for musculoskeletal repair and regeneration (Su Chin Heo, Ph.D.)
- Signaling pathways regulating development, homeostasis, and injury repair of musculoskeletal tissues (Kyu-Sang Joeng, Ph.D.)
- Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva and other disorders of heterotopic ossification (Frederick S. Kaplan, M.D.)
- Vascularized composite allotransplantation (L. Scott Levin, M.D.)
- Bone imaging and biomechanics (X. Sherry Liu, Ph.D.)
- Stem cell mechanobiology and soft tissue engineering (Robert L. Mauck, Ph.D.)
- Skeletal muscle and cardiac function (Foteini Mourkioti, Ph.D.)
- Bone metabolism, diseases, and stem cell biology (Ling Qin, Ph.D.)
- Molecular and cellular mechanisms of skeletal development with special emphasis on hypoxia, hypoxia-driven pathways and mitochondria (Ernestina Schipani, M.D., Ph.D.)
- Genetic diseases of bone formation and development; heterotopic ossification; genetic and cellular regulation of cartilage and bone cell differentiation (Eileen M. Shore, Ph.D.)
- Biomechanics, tendon and ligament injury and repair, shoulder, functional tissue engineering (Louis J. Soslowsky, Ph.D.)
- Degenerative and pediatric disorders of the spine, and regenerative therapeutics (Lachlan J. Smith, Ph.D. and Neil R. Malhotra, M.D.)
We hope you find our website useful and informative,
Louis J. Soslowsky, Ph.D.
Vice Chair for Research
Robert L. Mauck, Ph.D.
Director, McKay Orthopaedic Research Laboratory
The McKay Laboratory of Orthopaedic Surgery Research is a shared research facility for the faculty of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. The McKay Laboratory is located on the third floor of Stemmler Hall.