Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Delayed or impaired bone healing occurs in 5-10% of all bone fractures. Yet, cost effective solutions to induce and accelerate bone healing are limited. Lithium, used in the treatment of bipolar disorder, is not clinically indicated for use in fracture management, but has been reported to have a positive influence on bone biology, promoting bone generation and increasing bone mass. The literature, however, is lacking with respect to the administration parameters of treatment dose, onset and duration required to optimize the potential benefits of lithium on bone healing. The objective of this research is to validate the effect of lithium treatment to increase fracture healing by determining its optimal administration parameters. It is hypothesized that lithium administration post fracture will enhance the rate and quality of bone healing. Lithium treatment will be studied in a preclinical femur fracture model, varying its dose, onset and duration, over a 28 day period. The impact of lithium treatment on healing bones will be evaluated based on biomechanical strength and image based bone quality assessments (architecture and density). Optimization of the effects of lithium will demonstrate its potential as a promising, cost effective and highly accessible treatment to improve fracture healing. This preclinical work will form a foundation for future translational studies focused on the role of lithium in fracture healing.