# Spatialomics and quantitative MRI of ischemic injury in a piglet model of Legg-Calve-Perthes disease

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2024 · $132,408

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
This K01 award will provide training and protected research time for Alexandra Armstrong, DVM, DACVP, PhD
to achieve her career goal of becoming an independently-funded investigator with specialty expertise in animal
models of developmental orthopedic diseases, including the application of spatialomic profiling and quantitative
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD) is a developmental
orthopaedic disease with uncertainty regarding its pathogenesis or the ideal treatment regimen. Importantly, a
key aspect of the pathogenesis is ischemic injury to the growth cartilage in the proximal femur: both the
epiphyseal growth cartilage, underlying the articular surface, and the growth plate cartilage, within the femoral
neck. Dysfunction of these growth cartilages can contribute to collapse of the femoral head and to growth arrest
and leg length discrepancies, respectively. Despite the known role of ischemic injury to cartilage in LCPD, little
attention has been paid to the contribution of growth cartilage to either recovery or disease progression. To
address this critical gap, Dr. Armstrong will use a well-validated piglet model of LCPD to identify differentially
expressed genes within the growth cartilage associated with growth disturbances (Aim 1) and the response of
the growth plate and epiphyseal cartilage to transphyseal drilling (Aim 2), a treatment that may benefit children
with LCPD-induced growth disturbances. The patterns and pathways identified by spatialomics profiling will be
correlated with the histological features and compared to the quantitative MRI features of the epiphyseal
cartilage, with the potential to identify translational biomarkers of growth cartilage injury. Dr. Armstrong has a
strong scientific foundation, including expertise in musculoskeletal pathology, but she requires additional training
and dedicated time to develop her orthopaedic research program addressing questions of pathogenesis of
pediatric orthopaedic diseases using animal models. During the five-year training period, she will gain knowledge
in the clinical management of developmental orthopaedic disorders, develop expertise in novel spatialomics
methods and analysis, develop a strong knowledge base in cutting-edge musculoskeletal MRI techniques, gain
crucial experience in grantwriting, and undergo professional development in diversity, mentoring, teaching, and
leadership that will benefit her as a tenure-track faculty member with a primarily research-focused appointment.
This training will culminate in Dr. Armstrong achieving R01 or equivalent funding. She will be mentored by leading
experts in animal models, orthopaedic surgery, musculoskeletal imaging, rheumatology, and pathology, along
with didactic training in the analysis of genomic data, hands-on experiences, seminars/workshops, and
conferences. Dr. Armstrong’s work will be centered on the UMN Veterinary Clinical Sciences department, where
three of her ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10915014
- **Project number:** 5K01OD034070-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** Alexandra PR Armstrong
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $132,408
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-01 → 2028-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10915014

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10915014, Spatialomics and quantitative MRI of ischemic injury in a piglet model of Legg-Calve-Perthes disease (5K01OD034070-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10915014. Licensed CC0.

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