Senior Investigator, Lady Davis Institute
Orthopaedic Surgeon, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal
Research Director, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Surgery, McGill University
Associate Professor (tenured), Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Surgery, McGill University
Dr. John Antoniou is an orthopaedic surgeon at the Jewish General Hospital trained in the evaluation and management of the entire gamut of shoulder, elbow and adult reconstruction (hip and knee) problems. Dr. Antoniou graduated from medicine at McGill University in 1991 and did his residency in orthopaedic surgery from 1991 to 1997 at McGill University. In 1998, Dr. Antoniou completed a fellowship in adult reconstruction with an emphasis on revision surgery at Central Dupage Hospital and the Rush-Presbyterian-St. Lukes Medical Center in Chicago. In 1999, he also completed a fellowship in shoulder and elbow surgery at the University of Washington and University of Pennsylvania. More recently, he has become involved in patient self-assessment of disease and outcome analysis using a wide range of computer aided methodologies. During his clinical training, Dr. Antoniou completed a PhD in Experimental Surgery at McGill University, with an emphasis on research in the biochemistry and molecular biology of the musculoskeletal system.
Major Research Activities
Dr. Antoniou’s research is centered on the basic science and clinical areas of medicine, such as quantitative MRI as a diagnostic tool of disc degeneration, tissue engineering of the intervertebral disc, and total hip arthroplasty.
Dr. Antoniou sought to develop an objective, accurate, non-invasive diagnostic tool (quantitative MRI) for the detection and quantification of early intervertebral disc degeneration. His studies on quantitative MRI showed that discs matrix content, integrity, and biomechanical changes related to aging can be detected through certain MRI parameters. Further development of such a diagnostic tool could be used to assess and follow the treatment modalities of disc pathology that are presently being developed. Directly related to the work on diagnostic tools for disc degeneration, Dr. Antoniou’s second research interest is on the regeneration of a functional nucleus pulposus in the degenerated intervertebral disc using autologus mesenchymal stem cells, growth factors, and nitrogen rich surfaces. The long-range goal of this research is to develop a viable biological repair strategy for aging discs. Recently, he discovered that the amino-terminal peptide of link protein (Link N) is a potential growth factor able to stimulate the products of a nucleus pulposus-like phenotype.
Dr. Antoniou’s clinical studies involve examining adult reconstruction and the most effective therapy to treat pain and disability in patients and to improve their quality-of-life. This research is directly related to his effort to provide the best alternative treatment to patients suffering from osteoarthritis. He developed different research studies trying to understand the clinical relevance of raised and safe metal ion levels in patients with metal-on-metal hip arthroplasty, the effect of metal ions on the sperm parameters of male patients in their prime parenting years, and the influence of surgical variables on metal ion levels.
Recent Publications
Mwale F, Masuda K, Pichika R, Epure LM, Yoshikawa T, Hemmad A, Roughley PJ, Antoniou J. “The efficacy of Link N as a mediator of repair in a rabbit model of intervertebral disc degeneration.” Arthritis Res Ther. 2011 Jul 25;13(4):R120.Bernstein M, Walsh A, Petit A, Zukor DJ, Antoniou J. “Femoral head size does not affect ion values in metal-on-metal total hips.” Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2011 Jun;469(6):1642-50.Mwale F, Iatridis JC, Antoniou J. “Quantitative MRI as a diagnostic tool of intervertebral disc matrix composition and integrity.” Eur Spine J. 2008 Dec;17 Suppl 4:432-40.