Center for Orthopedics Research & Development (CORD)

Improving the lives of children with orthopedic disabilities through research is the primary goal of the Center for Orthopedics Research and Development (CORD) located at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children within the Department of Biomedical Research. The research includes clinical, applied and basic studies aimed at mitigating the effects of neuromusculoskeletal conditions.

It has performed pioneering work over the years in the areas of tissue engineering, spinal cord research and orthotics. This has lead to innovative treatments and methods such as the Wilmington jacket and Wilmington Robotic Exoskeleton (WREX).

 

Orthopedics research at Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children currently focuses on a number of areas including pediatric engineering research, tissue engineering, gait analysis, cerebral palsy and skeletal dysplasia. These areas are driven by the underlying principles of the development of devices and methods to improve function, the development of methodology to assess functional improvement, and investigations into pathologies that produce physical disabilities. The center brings together a multidisciplinary team including clinicians, engineers, biologists, and epidemiologists to define the problems and offer solutions for children with physical disabilities. Research and development activities have yielded devices and methods including the Wilmington Jacket, the Wilmington Robotic Exoskeleton (WREX), and an Electronic method for quantifying foot pressure in children with abnormal gait. Conditions that the center is addressing include those due to cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy, spina bifida, myelomeningocele, arthrogryposis, scoliosis, achondroplasia, limb-length discrepancies, amputations, limb deficiencies, hip dislocations, and spasticity. The center maintains affiliations with regional academic institutions including the University of Delaware, Drexel University, and Thomas Jefferson University. The Center has received grant funding from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, and The Cerebral Palsy Foundation.