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 

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

Pioneering MuscleMap project secures strong philanthropic support

Pioneering MuscleMap project secures strong philanthropic support

An innovative tool which could revolutionise the detection and treatment of musculoskeletal and neur..... Read more

Category: Funding support, Musculoskeletal Research, New Treatment, Research Excellence, World-leading technology

Latest findings on managing osteoarthritis

Latest findings on managing osteoarthritis

If you're looking for the best advice for osteoarthritis care, have a listen to one of our lead..... Read more

Category: Musculoskeletal Research, New Treatment, Research Excellence

Epic journey to support vital rheumatoid arthritis research

Epic journey to support vital rheumatoid arthritis research

The burble of high-powered motorcycles was heard across the Kolling Institute forecourt as part of a..... Read more

Category: Funding support, New Treatment, Research Excellence