Melissa MacIver

A bit about my research...

My research centers around orthopedic (bone and joint) disease, investigating adjunctive treatments, new surgical procedures and better ways to evaluate treatment success. Stem cell therapy offers a promising addition for patients with osteoarthrosis experiencing a decreased quality of life despite medical management, experiencing adverse side effects from medication or in those patients where these medications are contraindicated. For bone fracture repair surgeries, evaluating the biomechanics of bone plates on ex-vivo models can assist our decision making in clinical cases where preservation of the surrounding soft tissue will lead to faster fracture healing. Using non-invasive technology, evaluating changes to surrounding ligaments/tendons after surgery allows further education of pet owners and a way to evaluate treatment success.

How my research improves life…

Development of alternative or adjunctive treatments, new state-of-the-art surgical procedures and post-surgery assessment protocols