Titles and Education

1. Professor
2. BVSc University of Bristol 1985
3. MVetClinStud, The University of Sydney 1992
4. PhD, University of Bristol 1990
5. Membership of the Australian and New Zealand  College of Veterinary Scientists in Small Animal Surgery 1992
6. Membership of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (Small Animal Surgery) 1995
7. Membership of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons 1996
8. Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons - 2018, for meritorious contribution to knowledge

Research

The Comparative Orthopaedic Research Laboratory has several areas of interest. An active area is skeletal adaptation to loading, stress (fatigue) fractures. One Health Genomics through genomic dissection of disease on spontaneous companion animal models is also very active. Clinically, the laboratory continues to focus on cruciate ligament rupture in dogs, long bone fracture repair, and clinical trials evaluating treatment of canine osteoarthritis, and fetlock stress fracture screening in Thoroughbred racehorses.

Pathogenesis of spontaneous stress fractures, such as condylar fracture and proximal sesamoid bone fracture in racing Thoroughbreds, is an important current focus. We are particularly interested in the remodeling response in fetlock bone  that promotes stress fracture propagation. The laboratory has developed a novel vertical and oblique CT scanning through the Asto CT Inc, Equina system (www.astoct.com). Using this CT system, routine screening of standing sedated racehorses for bone injury is now possible.

In the area of One Health Genomics, genomic dissection of spontaneous disease in compansion animals is a major focus. Current projects include genome-wide association studies of canine cruciate rupture, canine laryngeal paralysis, and degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis in the Peruvian Horse. Using a whole genome sequencing approach, we are also studying fibrotic myopathy in the German Shepherd Dog.

Current areas of cruciate rupture research include the immune response within the stifle synovium that is an important early pathologic feature that precedes ligament rupture. A goal of this research is development of a disease-modifying or bioenhanced treatment for the stable stifle in affected dogs.

As part of our clinical trial work in client-owned dogs, the laboratory is continuing to work on development of improved methods for analysis of force-platform gait data.

Please visit the Comparative Orthopaedic Research Laboratory  http://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/lab/corl

Responsibilities

Teaching of small animal orthopaedic surgery and comparative orthopaedic science to veterinary students, veterinary surgery residents, and graduate students.

Co-Director of the Comparative Orthopaedic & Genetics Research Laboratory

Clinical Interests

Small animal orthopaedic surgery, particularly fracture repair, treatment of dogs with cruciate ligament rupture, and canine arthritis clinical trials.

Graduate Training

Trainer in the Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Compatation and Informatics in Biology and Medicine and the Genomic Sciences Graduate Programs. Students who recently completed graduate degrees include Susannah J. Sample (PhD - 2011), ‘Functional adaptation of the skeleton and the nervous system’; Sabrina Brounts (PhD - 2018), 'Evaluation of acoustoelastography in equine tendon and ligament healing'; Lauren Baker (PhD - 2019), ‘Genome-wide association study of ACL rupture in the dog’; Emily Binversie (PhD - 2021), who is pursuing research ‘Genomic dissection of ACL rupture in the spontaneous dog model’;  Molly Racette (MS - 2014) 'MRI prediction of cruciate ligament structural properties’, and Jason Bleedorn (MS - 2015) ‘Mechanically-induced signaling events in bone after in vivo bone loading’. Current PostDocs include Mehdi Momen (Quantiative Genetics) and Dr. Soroush Irandoust (Finite Element Modeling of Fetlock Stress Fractures). 

Recent Publications

1. Baker LA, Momen M, McNally R, Berres M, Binversie EE, Sample SJ, Muir P. Biologically enhanced GWAS provides further evidence for candidate loci and discovers novel loci that influence risk of ACL rupture in the dog model. Front Genetics 2021;12:593515.
2. Binversie EE, Engelman CD, Hao Z, Piazza AM, Sample SJ, Baker LA, Muir P. Analysis of copy number variants in dogs implicates genomic structural variation in the development of anterior cruciate ligament rupture. PLoS One 2020;15:e0244075
3. Colgate VA, The FRAT Group*, Marr CM. Science-in-brief: Risk assessment for reducing injuries of the fetlock bones in Thoroughbred racehorses. Equine Vet J 2020;52:482-488.
4. Baker LA, Momen M, Chan K, Bollig N, Lopes FB, Rosa GJM, Todhunter RJ, Binversie EE, Sample SJ, Muir P. Bayesian and machine learning models for genomic prediction of anterior cruciate ligament rupture in the canine model. G3 (Bethesda) 2020;10:2619-2628.

5. Yarnall BW, Chamberlain CS, Hao Z, Muir P. Pro-inflammatory polarization of stifle synovial macrophages in dogs with cruciate ligament rupture. Veterinary Surgery 2019;48:1005-1012.

6. Baker LA, Rosa GJM, Hao Z, Piazza A, Hoffman C, Binversie EE, Sample SJ, Muir P. Multivariate genome-wide association analysis identifies novel and relevant variants associated with anterior cruciate ligament rupture risk in the dog model. BMC Genetics 2018;19:39.

7. Sample SJ, Racette M, Hans EC, Volstad N, Holzman G, Bleedorn JA, Schaefer SL, Waller III, KR, Little JP, Hao Z, Block WF, Vavken P, Murray MM, Muir P. Use of a platelet-rich plasma-collagen scaffold as a bioenchanced repair treatment for management of partial cruciate ligament rupture in dogs. PLoS One 2018;13:e0197204.

8. Baker LA, Kirkpatrick B, Rosa GJM, Gianola D, Valente B, Sumner J, Baltzer W, Hao Z, Binversie EE, Volstad N, Sample SJ, Muir P. Genome-wide association analysis implicates 99 loci as risk variants for anterior cruciate ligament rupture. PLoS One 2017;12:e173810.

9. Hans EC, Zwathoed B, Seliski J, Nemke B, Muir P.  Variance associated with subject velocity and trial repetition during force platform gait analysis in a heterogeneous population of clinically normal dogs.  The Veterinary Journal 2014;202:498-502
11. Dubois M-S, Morello S, Rayment K, Markel MD, Vanderby Jr. R, Marquis P, Muir P.  Computed tomographic imaging of subchondral fatigue cracks in the distal end of the third metacarpal bone in the Thoroughbred racehorse can predict crack micromotion in an ex-vivo model.  PLoS One 2014;9:e101230
13. Malek S, Sample SJ, Schwartz Z, Nemke B, Jacobson PB, Cozzi EM, Schaefer SL, Bleedorn JA, Holzman G, Muir P.  Effect of analgesic therapy on outcome measures in client-owned dogs with knee osteoarthritis.  BMC Veterinary Research 2012;8:185