Projects

Tissue Engineering and Stem Cell Therapy: Optimization of chondrogenesis of human pluripotent stem cells via Single-cell transcriptomics and bioinformatics

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating joint disease characterized by cartilage degeneration as well as pathologic remodeling of other joint tissues. Cartilage has limited intrinsic healing capacity, motivating the application of stem cells for regenerative therapies. In this regard, the advent of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) has served as a major breakthrough towards cartilage regenerative therapies and in vitro disease modeling for OA drug discovery due to their nearly unlimited proliferation and pluripotentcy.

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Channelopathies and Skeletal Dysplasia

Elucidation of mutated TRPV4 ion channel differentially regulate complex gene regulatory networks governing cartilage and bone development, as well as how mutated TRPV4 alters tissue homeostasis in response to mechanical loading. TRPV4, a polymodal Ca^2+-permeable ion channel, functions as a primary mechanosensor in chondrocytes. Mutations in TRPV4 can lead to abnormal cartilage/skeletal formation in humans; however, the mechanisms by which TRPV4 mutations cause these pathogenic changes in cartilage at the cellular and molecular levels is largely unknown.

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