Inspiring Scientific Curiosity and Discovery

The Difficulty Reconciling Dogma with Data

Sometimes the data that are generated by experiments are very far from what is anticipated. As part of a translational project using cartilage to heal large bone defects, we discovered that chondrocytes transform into osteoblasts. This outcome contradicts more than 100 years of dogma that apoptosis is the terminal fate of chondrocytes, and has led to a discovery of new mechanisms of bone regeneration.