Biomechanics . Retrievals . Tribology . Fractures . Pediatrics . Spine .
The J. Vernon Luck, Sr., M.D. Orthopaedic Research Center, known as JVL, is located on the Downtown Campus of Orthopaedic Institute for Children, founded as Orthopaedic Hospital in 1911. The Research Center was dedicated to J. Vernon Luck, Sr., M.D., in 1986. The JVL Research Center is internationally recognized for advances in implant performance, including wear, fixation, retrieval analysis, and clinical outcome, as well as fracture, healing and repair.
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It’s more than a tagline — it’s the motivation behind all that we do. From the care we provide to the research we conduct to help children live happy, healthy lives, we’ll never stop helping kids grow well — and play well.
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The Research Team
Director of j. vernon luck sr., m.d. orthopaedic research center
Edward Ebramzadeh, PhD
Education
BS in Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern California, 1980
MS in Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern California, 1981
PhD in Biomaterials and Handicap Research, Göteborg University, Sweden, 1995
Research Interests
Biomechanics
Implant Retrieval
Implant Performance
Wear and Tribology
Biomaterials
Research Area
Dr. Ebramzadeh is the Director of the J Vernon Luck, Sr Orthopaedic Research Center located at the Orthopaedic Institute for Children (formerly Orthopaedic Hospital) in downtown Los Angeles. The Research Center includes five full-time research faculty focusing on Biomechanics, Implant Retrieval, Implant Performance, and Wear and Tribology of Biomaterials. Dr. Ebramzadeh has an extensive background in biomechanical design, development and evaluation of implants, including joint replacement prostheses, fracture fixation devices and related instrumentation. He has also been involved in the evaluation of surgical procedures for deformity correction, such as pediatric spine deformities, and fracture fixation. Dr. Ebramzadeh is a member of the editorial board of several prominent orthopaedic journals and is a member of the Hip Society.
Link to Pubmed Publications: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/edward.ebramzadeh.1/bibliography/44495844/public/?sort=date&direction=descending
director of biomechanics laboratory
Sophia Sangiorgio, PhD
Education
BS in Biomedical-Mechanical Engineering, USC, 2000
BA in Liberal Arts, 3-2 Engineering Scripps College, 2000
MS in Biomedical Engineering, UCLA, 2002
PhD in Biomedical Engineering, UCLA, 2006
Research Interests
Biomechanics
Implant Performance
Deformity Corrections (Scoliosis, Clubfoot)
Pediatric Orthopaedic Research
Implant Retrieval and Failure Analysis
Biomaterials
Implant Wear and Biodegradation
Fretting Wear and Corrosion
Research Area
Dr. Sangiorgio is the Director of the Biomechanics Laboratory of the JVL Orthopaedic Research Center, located at Orthopaedic Institute for Children (formerly Orthopaedic Hospital, founded in 1911). In the last decade, Dr. Sangiorgio has conducted several preclinical studies to evaluate surgical procedures for pediatric deformity corrections, including spine deformity and clubfoot. She has coauthored several landmark publications on the biomechanics of scoliosis surgery and the outcome of clubfoot treated using minimally invasive methods. Since 2000, she has conducted numerous cadaveric and composite biomechanical experiments for preclinical evaluation of fixation of total joint replacement components. Her focus has been on the design, performance, and initial stability assessment of joint replacement implants as well as spine arthroplasty devices. In addition to research activities, Dr. Sangiorgio has designed and teaches a course in orthopaedic biomechanics for the UCLA biomedical engineering department. This course covers the biomechanics of natural and artificial joints, and the evaluation of biomaterials for wear, tribology, biodegradation, and biocompatibility.
Link to Pubmed Publications: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/browse/collection/48104217/?sort=date&direction=ascending
director of bone and connective tissue healing laboratory
Sang-Hyun Park, PhD
Research Area
Dr. Park is the Director of the Biomaterials Laboratory of the JVL Orthopaedic Research Center located at the Orthopaedic Institute for Children (formerly Orthopaedic Hospital) in downtown Los Angeles. Dr. Park’s education focused in large part on implant biomaterials and degradation. In the last decade, Dr. Park has conducted extensive studies of metal-on-metal joint replacements, including comprehensive analysis of implant failure, and mechanical, biological, and corrosion analysis. These studies include detailed characterization of implant surface and structural damage to determine mechanisms of wear and failure in total hip and knee replacement components, as well as lumbar and cervical disk replacements. In the past, Dr. Park has also conducted landmark research studies using animal models to enhance methods for treating fractures, focusing on the effects of weight bearing, electrical muscle stimulation, and lavage of an open fracture, and the effect of pneumatic compression on blood flow to the fracture and healing. Dr. Park developed a novel method for creating different types of closed fractures in animals, and evaluated these using micro CT imaging, in vivo blood flow measurement, histology, and biomechanical testing.
Link to Pubmed Publications: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/1R_-5uxARejAm/bibliography/49077235/public/?sort=date&direction=ascending
Education
B.S. in Materials Engineering, Han-Yang University, Seoul, Korea, 1981
M.S. in Bioengineering, Clemson University, 1985
Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, The University of Iowa, 1989
Research Interests
Implant Retrieval and Failure Analysis
Biomaterials
Surface Characterization
Fracture Fixation
Fracture Healing
Awards
During the past three decades, the highly productive faculty of the Luck Orthopaedic Research Center have published an extensive number of manuscripts in the leading orthopaedic journals and their research has been recognized with the most prestigious awards in the field, including: in 1994, 2000, 2006 and 2011 the John Charnley Award from the Hip Society, and in 1998 the CeramTec Award for Research on Ceramics in Orthopaedic Implants, and The Kappa Delta Award from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Orthopaedic Research Society.
The 1998 Kappa Delta Award was presented to the investigators of the Luck Center in recognition of their developing a highly wear resistant polyethylene for use as a bearing material in artificial hips and knees. The new polyethylene has received a number of patents in the United States and internationally, and in 1998, was licensed to DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., the orthopaedic division of Johnson & Johnson. To date, the new polyethylene has been used in artificial joints in several hundred thousand patients, and none of them has required revision surgery due to excessive wear. This landmark breakthrough has made joint replacement surgery available to younger, more active patients than was historically possible.
Funding
The research programs of the Luck Center are supported by funding from granting agencies such as the NIH, from private foundations, particularly the Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital Foundation, and through contract research sponsored by the orthopaedic industry.