Fackson Mwale
- Graduate Program Director, Surgical and Interventional Sciences;聽
- Professor of Surgery;聽
- Fellow of International Orthopaedic Research (FIOR);聽
- Co-Director of Surgical Innovation;聽
- Course director of non thesis;聽
- Course director of Medical Technology Internship;聽
- Senior Investigator, Lady Davis Institute;聽
- Scientific Founder
PhD
Tissue Engineering of Intervertebral Disc & Cartilage: Dr. Mwale鈥檚 lab conducts cutting-edge research on tissue engineering of IVD. The long-term goal is to promote nucleus pulposus repair using growth factors, scaffolds and mesenchymal stem cells in the degenerated IVD. Dr. Mwale鈥檚 laboratory is also studying quantitative MRI as a diagnostic tool of IVD matrix composition and integrity. Quantitative MRI can be used as an accurate and non-invasive diagnostic tool in the detection and quantification of matrix composition and material properties of the human IVD and can, therefore, become a very important diagnostic and treatment assessment tool in determining the functional state of the disc.
Intervertebral disc degeneration, back pain and osteoarthritis
The therapeutic potential of Link-N to Treat Early Intervertebral Disc Degeneration:听Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is an insidious disorder that begins early in adult life and may progress slowly for decades until becoming symptomatic and requiring medical intervention. There are currently no proven treatments to prevent, stop or even retard disc degeneration, and surgery is often the ultimate outcome. Surgery commonly involves excision of the degenerate disc and fusion of the adjacent vertebrae, but this is not a benign procedure as it can result in adjacent segment disc degeneration due to altered spine biomechanics. A biological means to treat disc degeneration is therefore desirable. Supplementation with growth factors to promote matrix synthesis, with or without concurrent supplementation by disc cells or stem cells, represents the most common biological approach. However, growth factor therapy is expensive and side effects are likely with systemic administration.
We showed that Link N can stimulate the synthesis of proteoglycans and collagen by IVD cells聽in vitro聽补苍诲听in vivo聽in a rabbit annular needle puncture model of IVD degeneration (Mwale et al., 2011). Following needle puncture, disc degeneration rapidly proceeds, associated with aggrecan loss in the disc and a reduction in disc height. Link N was capable of stimulating aggrecan gene expression and down-regulate metalloproteinase expression it was not sufficient time for matrix accumulation.
Dr. Mwale received the Founders Medal at the 2011, Canadian Orthopaedic Research Society (CORS) meeting in St. John鈥檚 Newfoundland and the 2011 North American Spine Society award in Chicago. It was the first time a peptide had been shown to have potential for treating disc degeneration circumventing the use of costly growth factors.
Dr. Fackson Mwale holds a tenured professorship and serves as the Graduate Program Director for Surgical and Interventional Sciences. Beyond his academic responsibilities, he co-directs the Surgical Innovation Concentration and holds a senior investigator position at the Lady Davis Institute. Dr. Mwale's leadership extends to his past roles, including his tenure as the President of the Canadian Orthopaedic Research Society (CORS) and his involvement in co-founding Trepso Therapeutics and Intervertech. Within his current roles, he oversees the non-thesis master's degree program and is responsible for the Medical Technology Internships I and II programs. Additionally, he serves as a course instructor for Surgical Innovation I and II.
Dr. Mwale's significant contributions span multiple fields, including extracellular matrix biology, osteoarthritis, intervertebral disc biology, and tissue engineering. His work in these areas has garnered him widespread international recognition and acclaim. He has served as the Co-Director of the Orthopaedic Research Laboratory at the Lady Davis Research Institute, affiliated with 成人VR视频, since the year 2000.
Dr. Mwale obtained his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina and subsequently completed a post-doctoral fellowship at 成人VR视频, working alongside Dr. Robin Poole, a recent appointee to the Order of Canada. His expertise has led to him being invited as a speaker at over 70 institutions, both in Canada and internationally. In 2010, he had the honor of representing Canada at the 7th Combined Orthopaedic Research Societies Meeting in Kyoto, Japan.
His distinguished record in both service and academic leadership is highly noteworthy. Dr. Mwale has made substantial contributions to the NIH, including a six-year term on the Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering (MTE) Study Section, which followed a five-year term on the Skeletal Biology Structure and Regeneration (SBSR) Study Section. His involvement has been substantial, and he has even served as a co-chair for the MTE Study Section on multiple occasions.
Since 2017, he has been a member of the editorial board for European Cells and Materials, and he has held a position on the editorial board of the Journal of Orthopedic Research since 2010. Dr. Mwale is also an active reviewer for numerous other scholarly journals. In addition to his editorial roles, he has held the prestigious position of President of the Canadian Orthopaedic Research Society from 2018 to 2019 and President of the Canadian Connective Tissue Society from 2012 to 2014. Furthermore, since 2007, he has been a vital part of the organizing team for the Combined Orthopaedic Research Society, actively contributing to the coordination of the 2019 meeting held in Montreal.
Throughout his career, Dr. Mwale has authored over 120 peer-reviewed papers. Additionally, he has had over 100 invited talks, including those as a visiting professor both nationally and internationally, and presented more than 500 conference abstracts. His research endeavors have received substantial funding, with grants from organizations such as CIHR, NSERC, the AO Foundation, CHRP, the North American Spine Society (NASS), and co-applicant status on NIH grants.
He was among the distinguished scientists invited to participate in a roundtable at NIAMS in Washington, where he collaborated with other experts in the field to deliberate on the future of spine research. Dr. Mwale's outstanding contributions have earned him the esteemed status of Fellow of International Orthopaedic Research (FIOR) within the ICORS International College of Fellows. His accolades also encompass the ORS Young Investigator Award, the Berton Rahn Prize Award, the Hansj枚rg Wyss Award, the North American Spine Society Award, the Founders Medal, and the North American Spine Society (NASS) Award. Furthermore, Dr. Mwale is the innovator behind the PrimeGrowth鈩� Media system for the long-term culture of whole discs with vertebrae, the PrimeGrowth鈩� disc cell medium, and PrimeStem鈩�, an optimized stem cell media鈥攁ll of which are commercially available through Wisent Bioproducts.
Courses
- EXSU 619 The Hospital Environment
- EXSU 620 Surgical Innovation 1
- EXSU 621 Surgical Innovation 2
- EXSU 501 Medical Technology Internship 1
- EXSU 502 Medical Technology Internship 2
