Raymond Purves Bone & Joint Research Laboratory

The Raymond Purves Bone and Joint Research Laboratory leads Australia in research into some of the key musculoskeletal diseases affecting our population. This includes osteoarthritis, tendon injury and intervertebral disc degeneration.

There is currently no cure for these common, chronic disabling conditions and long-term management options are limited. It is only through a better understanding of the disease and tissue breakdown, that we will be able to develop therapies to modify the conditions.

The Raymond Purves Bone and Joint Research Laboratory team is well placed to improve the health of patients with musculoskeletal disease. We are located alongside Royal North Shore Hospital and have developed close relationships with orthopaedic surgeons and rheumatologists at the hospital. This means our latest research developments can be efficiently incorporated into future clinical care.


Professor Christopher Little Professor Christopher Little

Director Raymond Purves Bone and Joint Research Labs
Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Northern Clinical School
Kolling Institute
Institute of Bone & Joint Research
Member of the Charles Perkins Centre

 Dr Jiao Jiao Li

Honorary Associate

 Dr Cindy Shu

Postdoctoral Scientist

 A/Professor Sanaa Zaki

Postdoctoral Scientist

Dr James Melrose

Honorary Senior Research Fellow

Dr Margaret Smith

Honorary Research Fellow


Daniel Burkhardt - Research Officer

Susan Smith - Technical Officer

Jiarong (Devina) Li – PhD Student

Harrison Johansen - Honours Student

Kate Hoare - Honours Student

Sidharth Aravind - PhD Student

Ye (Janey) Zhang - Visiting Researcher

Roshana Vander Wall - Research Assistant

Jiaqi (Yancy) Chen - Honours Student 

Zhiyu Mu - Masters Student

Sofia Drakoulis - Honours Student

Developing regenerative therapies for osteoarthritis – To investigate the interactions between stem cells and diseased joint cells, and build on this knowledge to develop new ways of treating osteoarthritis

Developing new implants for musculoskeletal tissue repair – To develop and test tissue engineered methods of repairing musculoskeletal tissues including bones and joints

Raymond Purves Bone & Joint Research Laboratory related information

Events, News and Seminars

Podcast offers insight into the future of healthcare

Podcast offers insight into the future of healthcare

 A fascinating and informative podcast has been launched showcasing groundbreaking research, in..... Read more

Category: Cardiovascular and Renal Research, Musculoskeletal Research, Neuroscience and Pain Research, Research Excellence

Celebrating over 100 years of innovation

Celebrating over 100 years of innovation

The inaugural Eva Kolling Research Day was staged within Royal North Shore Hospital, providing the p..... Read more

Category: Awards, Cardiovascular and Renal Research, Funding support, Musculoskeletal Research, Neuroscience and Pain Research, Research Excellence

Celebrating the quiet achievers behind our clinical trial success

Celebrating the quiet achievers behind our clinical trial success

International Clinical Trials Day provided the chance to recognise the many people contributing to o..... Read more

Category: New Treatment, Research Excellence