Dr. Jim Cook discusses some of the research underway at the Comparative Orthopedic Lab.

Scientists receive $120,000 grant from National Footbal League Charities

MU Researchers Tackle Meniscus Damage 
Related to Sports Injuries

For about a million active people in the United States every year, tearing the meniscus in their knee can mean the end of participation in the activities they enjoy. For NFL football players, it can mean the end of their careers if not diagnosed and treated efficiently and effectively. Currently, diagnosing meniscal problems most often involves a combination of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and arthroscopy done days to weeks after injury – this process is time-consuming, expensive and invasive. Now, University of Missouri researchers are working on developing a technique for “on-the-field” diagnosis of meniscal tears. National Football League Charities has awarded MU researchers a $120,000 medical grant to fund this project.

James Cook DVM PHD is Director of the Comparative Orthopaedic Laboratory which is a research laboratory involving the College of Veterinary Medicine, The School of Medicine, and The College of Engineering where more than 25 scientists are currently involved in the research areas of osteoarthritis, tissue engineering, and articular cartilage physiology.

The COL team has been improving diagnostic measures to identify joint issues quickly, correctly and non-invasively in hopes of curbing damage, speeding recovery and preventing future problems. They also are examining potential biomarkers for knee injuries that could help determine problems, guide treatments and predict healing.

“This meniscal diagnosis project funded by NFL Charities fits perfectly with these missions,” Cook said. “The research that we are doing at MU is improving the way we diagnose and treat joint problems in elite athletes, as well as individuals of all levels of activity.”

Meniscal tears are especially common in athletes (human, canine, and equine) who participate in contact and cutting sports. Many football players injure their menisci each year while performing twisting and pivoting maneuvers in games or practice.

“The problem is that the nature and extent of the injury is nearly impossible to determine until the MRI and arthroscopy procedures are performed leaving the player, coach and medical personnel uncertain of whether the player can or should continue to play, what treatment will be required and what the prognosis is,” Cook said. The MU research team on this project is hoping to change all of that by validating a method for on-the-field evaluation of the menisci using a specific ultrasonography technique they have developed and tested on canine athletes.

Cook said the research will benefit both humans and animals.

“Quite frankly, I’m never going to get an NFL grant for working on dogs, but the work that we’ll do through the NFL grant will benefit dogs,” Cook said. “So as a vet and a scientist that’s working on the human side, it’s win-win for me because I’m able to get funding, I’m able to help people and, at the same time, I’m going to bring it back and apply it to my patients.”

Dr. Cook has numerous peer-reviewed publications to his credit in both the veterinary and human medical literature. He has received extensive funding for his research and has received numerous awards including the William and Kathryn Allen Distinguished Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery Award. His clinical interests are in arthroscopy, minimally invasive fracture repair, orthopaedic tissue engineering, and total joint replacement, and he holds one US patent for a canine total elbow replacement system.