Organ Lab

The Organ Lab at IU School of Medicine studies the relationship between bone and muscle mechanics at the whole-organ level, and explores how tissue-level mechanisms influence whole-organ function. To that end, the lab utilizes several in vivo model systems to understand how disease, exercise and pharmaceutical intervention influence bone and muscle structure, cellular activity and biomechanical properties.

Active Research

Led by Jason Organ, PhD the Organ Lab studies these properties in the context of chronic kidney disease, osteogenesis imperfecta, and normal postnatal ontogeny, using a variety of techniques, including imaging (CT, DXA, X-ray), histology (static and dynamic histomorphometry), muscle electrophysiology (in vivo ankle torque, in vitro whole muscle contractility), and bone mechanical testing (bending, compression, reference point indentation).

Muscle progenitor cell-based implants for dynamic laryngeal muscle reconstruction.
NIH R01 DC014070 (Stacey Halum, PI), Role: Co-I, 07/01/2015 to 06/30/2020

Research Funding

The Organ Lab has been funded by the NIH, IUSM/Showalter Research Trust, and the Indiana University Collaborative Research Grant Fund.

Get Research Updates

To stay current on the medical research work at IU School of Medicine’s statewide campuses, follow the IU School of Medicine research blog, where investigators throughout the school’s academic departments post updates about their work.

Blogs Hub

Recent Publications

  • 2017
    Sato AY, Richardson D, Cregor M, Davis HM, Au ED, McAndrews K, Zimmers TA, Organ JM, Peacock M, Plotkin LI, Bellido T. 2017. Glucocorticoids induce bone and muscle atrophy by tissue-specific mechanisms upstream of E3 ubiquitin ligases. Endocrinology 58:664-677. PMID: 28359087.
  • 2016
    Organ JM, Srisuwananukorn A, Price P, Joll JE, Biro KC, Rupert JE, Chen NX, Avin KG, Moe SM, Allen MR. 2016. Reduced skeletal muscle function is associated with decreased fiber cross-sectional area in the Cy/+ rat model of progressive kidney disease. Nephrol Dial Transplant 31:223-230. PMID: 26442903.

    Krege JB, Aref MW, McNerny E, Wallace JM, Organ JM, Allen MR. 2016. Reference point indentation is insufficient for detecting alterations in traditional mechanical properties of bone under common experimental conditions. Bone 87:97-101. PMCID: PMC4862890.

    Avin KG, Chen NX, Organ JM, Zarse Z, O’Neill K, Conway RG, Konrad RJ, Bacallao RL, Allen MR, Moe SM. 2016. Skeletal muscle regeneration and oxidative stress are altered in Chronic Kidney Disease. PLoS ONE 11(8):e0159411. PMCID: PMC4972446.

    McNerny E, Organ JM, Wallace JM, Newman CL, Brown DM, Allen MR. 2016. Assessing the inter- and intra-animal variability of in vivo OsteoProbe skeletal measures in untreated dogs. Bone Rep 5:192-198. PMCID: PMC5003524

  • 2015
    Moe SM, Chen NX, Newman CL, Organ JM, Kneissel M, Kramer I, Gattone II VH, Allen MR. 2015. Anti-sclerostin antibody treatment in a rat model of progressive renal osteodystrophy. J Bone Miner Res 30:499-509. PMCID: PMC4333005. http://hdl.handle.net/1805/5544.

    Rupert JE, Rose JA, Organ JM, Butcher MT. 2015. Forelimb muscle architecture and myosin isoform composition in the groundhog (Marmota monax). J Exp Bio 218:194-205. PMID: 25452499.

    Srisuwananukorn A, Allen MR, Brown DM, Wallace JM, Organ JM. 2015. In vivo reference point indentation measurement variability in skeletally mature inbred mice. BoneKEy Reports 4(712):1-5. PMCID: PMC4478874

    Allen MR, McNerny EMB, Organ JM, Wallace JM. 2015. True gold or pyrite: a review of reference point indentation for assessing bone mechanical properties in vivo. J Bone Miner Res 30:1539-1550.

  • 2014
    Allen MR, Newman CL, Smith E, Brown DM, Organ JM. 2014. Variability of in vivo reference point indentation in skeletally mature inbred rats. J Biomech 47:2504-2507. PMCID: PMC4096655. http://hdl.handle.net/1805/4299.

    Deane AS, Russo GA, Muchlinski MN, Organ JM. 2014. Caudal vertebral body articular surface morphology correlates with functional tail use in anthropoid primates. J Morphol 275:1300-1311. PMID: 24916635. http://hdl.handle.net/1805/4533.

  • 2013
    Patel BA, Ruff CB, Simons ELR, Organ JM. 2013. Humeral cross-sectional shape in suspensory primates and sloths. Anat Rec 296:545-556. PMID: 23408647.

    Aref M, Gallant MA, Organ JM, Wallace JM, Newman CL, Burr DB, Brown DM, Allen MR. 2013. In vivo reference point indentation reveals positive effects of raloxifene on mechanical properties following 6 months of treatment in skeletally mature beagle dogs. Bone 56:449-453. PMCID: PMC3873633. http://hdl.handle.net/1805/3375.