At a major orthopaedics meeting this weekend, researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center are showcasing studies that merge some of the most significant modern health problems - obesity and type 2 diabetes, infections, and joint degeneration, for example -- with the latest musculoskeletal science.

URMC presentations include a breakthrough in the development of a vaccine to prevent life-threatening methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections following bone and joint surgery, and the identification of a drug that might act on bone stem cells to enhance fracture healing. All are taking place at the Orthopaedic Research Society 2013 annual meeting, in San Antonio, Texas, Jan. 26 to 29.

The strong showing from the Center for Musculoskeletal Research (CMSR) continues a tradition of national leadership and innovation, said Edward M. Schwarz, Ph.D., the Burton Professor ofOrthopaedics and Rehabilitation at URMC. He also directs the CMSR, which is among the top funded orthopaedics research programs in the country.