Research

The USC Stevens Center for Orthobiologics is committed to tackling some of the most pressing challenges in musculoskeletal health. Conditions such as osteoarthritis, cartilage degeneration, ligament and tendon injuries, and significant bone trauma affect millions of patients and often lead to pain, loss of mobility, and diminished quality of life.

Orthobiologics, stem cells, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and growth factors represent the future of regenerative care. These therapies have shown promise in relieving pain, stimulating healing, and even regenerating tissue.

However, clinical outcomes remain inconsistent, and much remains unknown:

• Why do some patients respond better to PRP and stem cells than others?
• What role do genetics, proteomics, and growth factors play?
• How do we optimize dose, delivery, and timing of biologic agents?

The USC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery ranks in the top 10 nationally for NIH funding and is uniquely positioned to lead the field of regenerative medicine. With strong collaborations across the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research and the Viterbi School of Engineering, USC is at the forefront of applying stem cell biology, bioengineering, and advanced imaging to orthopaedic challenges.

Our faculty are already pioneering stem cell–based therapies in pre-clinical models to repair cartilage, regenerate ligaments, and heal bone. We are on the verge of initiating human clinical trials for these therapies, thereby translating laboratory solutions directly to patients.

The Center is creating a biorepository to collect patient samples before and after treatment, enabling researchers to identify the biological markers associated with clinical success. This will allow us to customize therapies and improve patient outcomes.

By combining patient-derived stem cells or PRP with targeted growth factors, researchers want to develop biologic agents tailored to regenerate damaged tissues in the right anatomical setting. These efforts will be backed by rigorous genomic and functional analysis to determine why some patients respond and others do not.

• Regenerative medicine for cartilage, bone, and ligament repair
• Stem cell and biologics innovation for musculoskeletal healing
• Translational and clinical trial research