Tom Appleton
Research Interests/Specializations
Cartilage
Cell signaling
Clinical Trials
Early osteoarthritis
Inflammation
Osteoarthritis
Rheumatology
Synovitis
Ultrasound
Dr. Appleton is a Rheumatologist and Scientist at the Lawson Health Research Institute at the Rheumatology Centre at St. Joseph’s Health Care, London. He was recruited back to Western as Clinician-Scientist and Assistant Professor of Medicine in October, 2016. He has focused expertise in basic/translational medical research, musculoskeletal ultrasound, and clinical research, including clinical trials. His research focus is in osteoarthritis (OA), the most common joint disease world-wide. Dr. Appleton is the director of the Western Rheumatology Multidisciplinary Specialty Centre for Osteoarthritis and the principal investigator of the Western Ontario Registry for Early Osteoarthritis (WOREO) Knee Cohort study. His work in translational biology using transcriptomics and advanced molecular biology techniques in animal models of post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis led to the discovery of transforming growth factor alpha as a cartilage-derived determinant of early joint damage. This discovery has since been confirmed by others in multi-continent genome-wide association studies for both hip and knee osteoarthritis.
Dr. Appleton is recognized internationally as an emerging expert in OA, including the pathogenesis of early OA and OA phenotyping. He has been an invited speaker at the largest clinical international Rheumatology and OA research-focused conferences, including the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Osteoarthritis Research Society international (OARSI). His translational biology work has resulted in more than 60 peer-reviewed publications in top arthritis and Rheumatology journals and presentations at national and international conferences. Dr. Appleton currently holds independent operating grants as nominated principal investigator from the Ontario Innovation Fund, the Arthritis Society of Canada, and the Western Bone and Joint Institute, and is the site principal investigator on a national multicenter randomized controlled trial of disease modifying treatment for knee osteoarthritis. He currently supervises a research team of 9 post-doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate trainees and research associates.
Dr. Appleton is also an investigator with provincial and national research initiatives including the Canadian early ArthriTis CoHort Study (CATCH), a prospective study of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. He has been recognized as a Future Leader in Rheumatology by the Canadian Rheumatology Association and the United States Bone and Joint Initiative. He is currently Chair of the Annual Scientific Meeting Planning Committee for the Canadian Rheumatology Association and a member of the board of directors of the Ontario Rheumatology Association.
Dr. Appleton is recognized internationally as an emerging expert in OA, including the pathogenesis of early OA and OA phenotyping. He has been an invited speaker at the largest clinical international Rheumatology and OA research-focused conferences, including the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Osteoarthritis Research Society international (OARSI). His translational biology work has resulted in more than 60 peer-reviewed publications in top arthritis and Rheumatology journals and presentations at national and international conferences. Dr. Appleton currently holds independent operating grants as nominated principal investigator from the Ontario Innovation Fund, the Arthritis Society of Canada, and the Western Bone and Joint Institute, and is the site principal investigator on a national multicenter randomized controlled trial of disease modifying treatment for knee osteoarthritis. He currently supervises a research team of 9 post-doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate trainees and research associates.
Dr. Appleton is also an investigator with provincial and national research initiatives including the Canadian early ArthriTis CoHort Study (CATCH), a prospective study of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. He has been recognized as a Future Leader in Rheumatology by the Canadian Rheumatology Association and the United States Bone and Joint Initiative. He is currently Chair of the Annual Scientific Meeting Planning Committee for the Canadian Rheumatology Association and a member of the board of directors of the Ontario Rheumatology Association.
