Orthopedics and Biomechanical Engineering
Keith Baar, Assistant Professor
CBS: Neuro, Physio & Behavior
Cranial (or anterior) cruciate ligament (CCL) rupture is one of the most common orthopedic conditions in dogs. CCL rupture results in instability within the stifle that initiates a downward spiral of synovitis, articular cartilage degeneration, and eventually osteoarthritis. Currently, intracapsular techniques replace the ruptured CCL with an autologous tissue or synthetic graft. However, these grafts aren't strong enough and so the repair is usually augmented with some form of extracapsular reconstruction. We have developed a viable alternative that should be strong enough on its own to return joint stability. Our unique method uses stem cells to engineer a ligament in vitro.
Projects for summer research students focus on tendon and ligament biology, injury, and repair.
Please contact Dr. Barr via email at kbaar@ucdavis.edu.
Blaine Christiansen, PhD
Musculoskeletal adaptation, post-traumatic osteoarthritis, bone, biomechanics
UCDMC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Dr. Christiansen is a faculty member in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Group. His research investigates the adaptation of musculoskeletal tissues, particularly bone and articular cartilage, to the mechanical environment, injury, aging, or disease using small animal models. The musculoskeletal system has an innate ability to repair and optimize itself based on the mechanical demands placed on it. By studying this adaptation, we are able to uncover the underlying mechanisms that contribute to diseases such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. Musculoskeletal adaptation is quantified in these models using advanced imaging techniques, histology, and mechanical testing. Current projects in the Christiansen lab include investigation of biomechanical and biological mechanisms contributing to the development of post-traumatic osteoarthritis, investigation of systemic bone loss following bone fracture or other musculoskeletal injury, and determining the effect of peripheral sensory nerve function on bone metabolism and bone adaptation to the mechanical environment.
Please visit Dr. Christiansen's website for more information.
Contact Dr. Christiansen at bchristiansen@ucdavis.edu
Damian Genetos, PhD
VM: Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology
My research focuses upon the skeletal system, its development, and the mechanisms whereby it adapts to changes in the local microenvironment.
The skeleton responds to changes in applied loads. Under conditions of reduced use (as occurs during spaceflight or prolonged bed rest), bone is resorbed; when excess loads are applied, more bone is made, to reduce the stress placed upon them. Osteoblasts, the bone-forming cells, are responsive to a variety of stimuli, and we have begun to characterize the downstream signaling events involved in the conversion of an external load into a bone-forming response. This process is termed mechanotransduction. Current areas of research include purinergic signaling and epigenetic regulation in response to in vitro loading.
I also examine how pericellular oxygen tension affects bone cells bone turnover, and bone repair. The oxygen tension within bone can vary under certain circumstances; for example, fracture and limb unloading promotes hypoxia in osteocytes. In collaboration with a colleague at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, we are examining the influence of altered oxygen tension perception upon Wnt and BMP signaling in mice.
Additionally, we study how aberrant bone formation can cause pathologic conditions, such as vascular calcification.
Dr. Genetos can be reached at dgenetos@ucdavis.edu.
J. Kent Leach, Ph.D.
(see also: Osteoimmunology, Arthritis/Degenerative Disease)
Research in the Leach laboratory is primarily in the broad area of TISSUE ENGINEERING. Within our research program, we seek to engineer functional replacement and temporary bridge tissues while also developing model systems to study physiological and pathophysiological tissue formation. We initially develop many of our projects with an eye toward bone tissue engineering, and these findings are subsequently applied to other areas of tissue repair including cartilage and cardiovascular engineering, as well as wound healing.
All projects in the lab are linked by the hypothesis that combinatorial approaches to tissue formation are superior to individual stimulation. More specifically, successful tissue engineering approaches will be realized upon the proper spatial and temporal presentation of cells, signaling molecules, biomaterials, and mechanical stimulation.
STAR students will participate in projects involving tissue engineering of cartilage and bone, as well as testing immunological response/contribution to tissue formation in vivo.
Website: http://bme.ucdavis.edu/leachlab/
To contact Dr. Leach, please email jkleach@ucdavis.edu.
Denis Marcellin-Little, DEDV
VM: Surgery & Radiology
Service Chief, Small Animal Orthopedic Surgery
Dr. Marcellin-Little is a veterinary orthopedic surgeon with experience in 3-D reconstruction and analysis of musculoskeletal structures. His clinical focus is on total joint replacement and on the management of bone deformities. He has mentored more than 30 DVM students in STAR and STAR-like programs.
To contact Dr. Marcellin-Little, please email djmarcel@ucdavis.edu
Mike Mienaltowski, DVM, Ph.D.
Tendon repair, stem/progenitor cell biology
College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (See also: Biochemistry/Cell Biology, Genetics/Genomics and Translational Research)
My primary research interests include:
(1) the development, maturation, and repair of musculoskeletal connective tissues like tendon and ligament
(2) cellular mechanisms behind broiler muscle pathology
(3) the roles of the microbiome in proper gut transition in foals from birth to weaning.
In my musculoskeletal research projects, I am particularly interested in how differences in niche affect cells within the environment in growth and repair. Moreover, I am interested in the physiology of usage and elite performance as well as pathophysiology from over-usage, acute and chronic injury for all musculoskeletal tissues on all species as they might be related to use, environment, or genetics, and as they might be related to the manipulation of niche and collagen regulation genes. Furthermore, because the proper development of the musculoskeletal system depends greatly upon proper foal growth and foal growth subsequently depends upon appropriate nutrition, I am interested in understanding how gut microbes facilitate healthy gut transitions in the foal.More information can be found at: http://animalscience.ucdavis.edu/faculty/mienaltowski/index.html
Contact information for Dr. Mienaltowski: e-mail: mjmienaltowski@ucdavis.edu
Aijun Wang, PhD
UC Davis Medical Center, Department of Surgery (see also: Translational Research, Biochemistry, Surgery)
Dr. Aijun Wang is a Chancellor's Fellow Professor of Surgery and of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). He is the Vice Chair for Translational Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship for the Department of Surgery, Co-founder and Co-Director of the Center for Surgical Bioengineering (CSB), formerly known as Surgical Bioengineering Laboratory, and Dean's Fellow in Entrepreneurship at the UC Davis School of Medicine. He is also a Principal Investigator at the Institute for Pediatric Regenerative Medicine (IPRM) / Shriners Children's Pediatric Research Center, Northern California. Dr. Wang’s research focuses on developing tools, technologies and products that combine molecular, cellular, tissue and biomaterial engineering to promote regeneration and restore function. Specifically, the Wang Group is focused on integrating single cell spatial multi-omics (transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) to study disease mechanisms and developmental process, and engineering stem cell/gene therapy, extracellular vesicles/nanomedicine, and extracellular matrix/biomaterial scaffolds to treat various surgical conditions and diseases. Dr. Wang and his team at CSB specialize in bringing therapeutics from bench to bedside, through innovative discovery, translational and IND-enabling studies, GMP manufacturing, and ultimately clinical trials in both human and companion animal patients.
Please visit Dr. Wang’s website at https://wanglab.engineering.ucdavis.edu or the website for the Center for Surgical Bioengineering at https://health.ucdavis.edu/surgery/research/index.html
Contact Dr. Wang: aawang@ucdavis.edu.
Clare Yellowley
Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology
Dr Yellowley is a orthopedic cell biologist in the department of Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology in the Vet School. We are focused on normal bone physiology, bone pathology (fracture) and bone tissue regeneration. We employ both in vitro cell culture models, in vivo fracture models and genetically modified mice. Our current projects involve assessing the influence of mechanical load and oxygen availability on bone cell signaling, the role of hypoxia-inducible transcription factors in osteocytes, the ability of stem cells to enhance fracture healing and muscle bone interactions.
Email - cyellowley@ucdavis.edu