The musculoskeletal research field addresses degenerative diseases of the spine or articulating joints as a result of aging, trauma, rheumatoid arthritis or underlying congenital diseases. Research within BMM focusses on biomaterial solutions, coatings and biocompatibility screening for biomaterial implants. 

 

In the spine, the most urgent clinical demands relate to back pain as a result of intervertebral disc degeneration, osteoarthritis, or osteoporosis. For articulating joint disease, clinical demand is in the progressive cartilage damage in the young and the degenerative joint, for which the current treatment is replacement with an artificial joint at the end of disease. 

 
BMM projects target at new, less invasive, functional treatments aimed at preventing degeneration and regeneration of bone and cartilage. Moreover, to prevent infections and immune responses after biomaterial implantation, various projects are focused on developing new strategies for biomedical coatings.

The Dutch Arthritis Foundation has joined BMM as a partner in 2011. Their goal is to financially support scientific research aimed at curing or at least improving the current treatment of diseases linked to the musculoskeletal system.