Peter C. Amadio, M.D.

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SUMMARY

Peter C. Amadio, M.D., is a hand and orthopedic surgeon who also researches the role of fibrosis in human health and disease.

Dr. Amadio is principal investigator of the Tendon and Soft Tissue Biology Laboratory, where he studies the causes and prevention of fibrosis in two types of tissues. One type is flexor tendons, which are prone to degenerative tendinopathy and impaired function related to post-traumatic fibrosis. The other is the synovium within the carpal tunnel in the wrist. This tendon is prone to fibrosis, which leads to carpal tunnel syndrome, the most common reason for hand surgery.

Focus areas

• Tendon lubrication and adhesion prevention. In collaboration with the Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Amadio is developing a biological product device to prevent adhesion formation after tendon repair, reconstruction or tenolysis. Dr. Amadio's goal is to launch clinical trials and ultimately commercialize the device.
• Ultrasound imaging biomarkers. Dr. Amadio and his colleagues pioneered ultrasound biomarkers to assess carpal tunnel syndrome. The long-term goal is to develop and commercialize AI-informed ultrasound biomarkers for carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Novel treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome. In collaborative research with the Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Amadio's team discovered that carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition with abnormal cellular aging (senescence). His team found that antiaging (senolytic) therapies can reverse fibrosis in lab models of carpal tunnel syndrome. Dr. Amadio is pursuing a phase 2 clinical trial of the bioactive flavonoid fisetin in the hope that senolytic medication could someday replace surgery for carpal tunnel treatment.
• Hand anatomy for the 21st century. In collaboration with the Department of Anatomy at Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota, Dr. Amadio is interested in developing a comprehensive, multimodality 3D atlas of hand anatomy. Dr. Amadio hopes that an enhanced publicly available database of hand anatomy can stimulate hand research all around the world.

For more details about Dr. Amadio's research, visit his Tendon and Soft Tissue Biology Laboratory website.

Significance to patient care

Treatments to improve rehabilitation and the strength of tendon repair that were developed in Dr. Amadio's lab have already changed the clinical practice of tendon surgery. The next goal is to translate successful in vivo animal results into a product that can be used clinically. The carpal tunnel syndrome model developed in Dr. Amadio's lab has allowed his team to identify novel antifibrotic therapies and biomarkers that can be used to guide treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome.

Professional highlights

• Mayo Clinic:
  • Lloyd A. and Barbara A. Amundson Professor of Orthopedics, 2009-present.
  • Dean for Research Academic Affairs, 2012-2022.
  • Distinguished Mayo Investigator, 2018.
  • Secretary, Mayo Clinic Officers and Councilors, 2014-2016.
  • Secretary-Treasurer, Alumni Association, 2013-2019.
• President, Orthopaedic Research Society, 2021-2022.
• Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, 2021.
• CORR ORS Richard A. Brand Award for Outstanding Orthopaedic Research, The Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons and the Orthopaedic Research Society, 2014.
• Alumni Achievement Award, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, 2013.