The orthopedic department of Peking University Third Hospital was founded in 1958. After 50 years’ development, several generations of orthopedic scholars strived to make our spine and joint surgery to the top level on both clinic and research level.
　　1. Our Leaders Pay Close Attention to Basic Research
　　The development of our department was owed to the effort of several generations of leaders. They gave much regard to basic research, which we never forget.
Professor Keqin Yang studied in America in his early years. He studied cervical spondylosis in 1950s, and built orthopedic lab in 1960s. He cooperated with Professor Wenzhao Ma in the research of the effect of lecithin to bone healing. After 1980s, he introduced orthopedic surgeons to study in America.
　　Professor Zhihu Zhang began to develop artificial prothesis of coax in the beginning of 1980s. He also directed graduate students to do animal experiments, and made Peking University Third Hospital advanced nationally in this area. Pro. Zhang studied cervical spondylosis vertebral artery type, and published monograph “cervical spondylosis” based on his research.
　　Professor Gengting Dang pays continuous attention to basic research. He studied bone physiology and bone histomorphometry parameters in McGill University in the beginning of 1980s. He established bone histomorphometry parameters method when he comes back. He directed he graduate students to study osteoporosis and bone healing. He also is one of the earliest scholars to directed graduate students to study bone morphogenetic protein by using gene engineering in the whole nation. He achieved success in bone tissue engineering research.
Professor Zhongjun Liu studied in UK and the US. He is specialized in the clinical and basic research of spinal cord injury, tissue engineering and spine tumor. He was the first to observe the MRI change of spinal cord injury in the whole nation, and made compared study of pathology and radiology of spinal cord injury. He also made study for tissue engineering repair technique of spinal cord injury. His graduate student got excellent thesis award of Peking University. Pro. Liu was the first to perform total vertebral body resection and made related research in the whole nation. In his leading, orthopedic department was awarded “innovating group” by ministry of education in 2007.
　　2. The Representative Basic Research Work
　　1) Cervical Spondylosis: We began the research work of cervical spondylosis from the end of 1950s. Professor Yang was one of the exploiters of cervical spondylosis research work in China. In 1970s we began a series of surgical treatment research of cervical spondylosis, including anterior approach surgery, interbody fusion by allograft, anatomic and angiography research of vertebral artery, and basic research of cervical spondylosis vertebral artery type. We got sagittal length data of cervical canal after measuring the cervical X-ray of thousands of Chinese, and presented that the ratio of sagittal length of cervical canal and sagittal length of cervical vertebral body is over 75% in normal Chinese. Based on above result, Professor Dang et al studied “cervical spinal cord injury without fracture and dislocation”, and illustrated its pathological basis. This result was recognized by academia, and got first class award of science and technology progress of ministry of education in 2004. We did experimental research of chronic compression of cervical spinal cord and clinical research of cervical mobility after cervical surgery. Based on clinical and basic research, we confirmed the role of developing cervical canal stenosis and cervical segmental instability in cervical spondylosis pathogenesis after 1980s. We also joined to establish national diagnosis and treatment standard of cervical spondylosis. Up to now, we have achieved 30,000 cases surgical treatment of cervical spondylosis, and built the most perfect diagnosis and treatment system of cervical spondylosis. Due to above contribution, we got second class award of national science and technology in 2003.
　　2) Osteoarthritis: Professor Siquan Lou studied in America when he was young. Addition to clinical work, together with Professor Ke Zhang and Yan Liu, he began to do research work of osteoarthritis, especially the molecular biological mechanism of it. The research direction was the injury mechanism and repair of articular cartilage. After several decades, we got many results in this area, including the inhibition of cartilage DNA synthesis and stimulation of MMP by IL-1 and TNF-α, the effect of chemokine to articular cartilage cells, the effect of apoptosis related factor to cartilage cells, the relation of IL-10 gene and osteoarthritis, and the effect of the silence of senile gene expressionion to articular cartilage cells phenotype and metabolism. These researches had many innovating points, and published over 30 papers, including 7 SCI papers. The literature “Osteoarthritis mechanism and tissue engineering formed cartilage” got second class award of Chinese Medical Association science and technology progress in 2006.
　　3) The basic research of osteoporosis: We established bone histomorphometry parameters technique in the beginning of 1980s, and developed the clinical research of osteoporosis, including the effect of Chinese medicine, estrogen, statins medicine, and immobility to bone volume and bone metabolism. We also measured bone tissue morphologic metrology related parameters of Chinese. Pro Dang wrote teaching material of bone histology and bone histomorphometry parameters, and held national teaching class. Several related papers were published.
　　4) Bone healing and bone tissue engineering: Bone healing is key point of orthopedic research. Addition to early research of the effect of lecithin to bone healing, Pro. Dang directed his graduate students to make research of gene engineering of bone morphogenetic protein, gene expression of bone healing progress, the promotion of growth factor to bone healing, the effect of ultrasonic to bone healing, and bone histomorphometry parameters in bone healing, et al. In bone tissue engineering aspect, we cultured osteoblast and make seed cells selection. We also compared the different effect of various carriers and growth factors to tissue engineering bone.
　　5) Spine surgery related basic research: ①biomechanics research of atlas and axis instrumentation; ②molecular biological research of ossification of ligamentum flavum; ③spinal fusion research; ④spinal osteotomy correction related research; ⑤spinal tumor resection related research; ⑥spinal tumor resection border research; ⑦research of cervical spondylosis sympathetic type; ⑧research of discogenic low back pain; ⑨research of degenerative cervical and lumbar disease; ⑩protein research of ligament ossification; ⑾basic research of spinal bone giant cells.
　　3. The teaching of orthopedics
Teaching including undergraduates, graduate and continuing medical teaching. North orthopedic medical commitment has been made over the years the pharmacy department, the Department of Public Health clinical teaching, and commitment has been made in recent years of clinical teaching. Former director of orthopedics attach great importance to teaching their students to speak of a scientific first class. Orthopedic department become the third-point for doctorate students assigned by the State Council in 1989. Orthopedic existing doctoral tutor 5, Master's Tutor 19. 4 post doctors have been trained. The amount of medical doctors is 74. the amount of master students is 90. Professor LIU Zhongjun under the guidance of Professor of Peking University won doctoral thesis outstanding Paper Award. Orthopedic education classes were held every year, 3000 students have been trained , many physicians study of the provinces and cities has become academic leaders.
　　4.Achievements and Goals:
　　Due to the effort of generations, orthopedic department of Peking University Third Hospital has become national outstanding subject, and 211 outstanding subject of ministry of education. We are not only the national training center of spine surgery, but also international AO Spine training center. We were awarded innovating group by ministry of education in 2007. In recent 10 years, we published over 500 papers, including over 30 SCI papers, and compiled and translated over 10 books. Since 2000, we got over 30 researching funds from national or ministry institution, totally over 20 million RMB, including 9 national natural science funds, 3 important items of ministry of health, and other different funds. Due to our outstanding achievement, we have quite a few experts hold the duty in national or international academies.
　　From now on, we will focus more on the clinical related basic researches, including degenerative cervical or lumbar disease, discogenic low back pain, spinal tumor resection border, pathogenesis of osteoarthritis, bone tissue engineering and bone healing, molecular biology and protein of spinal heterotopic ossification, and spinal cord injury.