The Mission of the J. Vernon Luck Orthopaedic Research Center is to support and promote:

Research and development projects that have an immediate impact on the quality of patient care by evaluating the efficacy of current orthopaedic implants and the associated surgical techniques, and by developing improved implants and treatments.

Education of scientists and clinicians in the latest research on implants and the associated therapies for musculoskeletal diseases and injuries. Communication between researchers studying the musculoskeletal system and clinicians treating the millions of patients affected by musculoskeletal diseases or injuries.

Collaborative musculoskeletal research and development programs among scientists, clinicians, educators, and commercial entities.

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.

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.

The five specialized laboratories of the Luck Center routinely collaborate among each other, with clinicians, and with the investigators of the Orthopaedic Hospital Research Center on the UCLA campus to develop highly translational solutions to multidisciplinary problems of the musculoskeletal system.

The following links provide detailed information on the scope, activities and contact information for the laboratories of the Luck Center:

• Implant Biomechanics: Design, development and evaluation of implants used in joint replacement, trauma and spinal stabilization.
• Implant Tribology : Evaluation of the friction and wear properties of existing bearing materials, and the development of more durable materials for the hip, knee and spinal disc replacements
• Biomaterials, Particle and Ion Analysis: Recovery and characterization of wear particles produced by artificial joints and other implants, during laboratory testing and during use in the patient. Development of more wear resistant materials.
• Implant Retrieval Analysis: Evaluation of wear and other factors that affect the long-term performance of orthopaedic implants during clinical use, including determining the nature of the local and systemic reactions to implants, wear particles and metal ions.
• Bone and Tissue Biomechanics : Determining the combined effects of mechanical stimulation and pharmacological agents on the rate and quality of healing of bone fractures and other injuries of the musculoskeletal tissues.
• Computer Modeling : Using finite element analysis to study the biomechanics of orthopaedic implants and musculoskeletal tissues, to develop improved implant designs and treatment methods.

The dedicated and highly competent supporting staff of the Luck Research Center includes

• Yolande Tchaousoghlou: Administrative Analyst
• Rhonda Maybet: Administrative Assistant
• James Alexander: Research Machinist
• Ronald Cindrich: Electron Microscopy Technician

• Read more about Orthopaedic Hospital at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center
• Read more about the Orthopaedic Research Center at UCLA
• Read more about the UCLA/LAOH - Department of Orthopaedic Surgery