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Hani A. Awad, Ph.D.

Contact Information

Phone Numbers

Office: (585) 273-5268

Social Links

@Awad_Lab

Research Labs

My Laboratory interfaces Biomedical Engineering and Orthopaedics. We provide opportunities for state of the art training related to Tissue Engineering and Biomechanics.

Visit My Laboratory interfaces Biomedical Engineering and Orthopaedics. We provide opportunities for state of the art training related to Tissue Engineering and Biomechanics. Lab Website

Faculty Appointments

Biography

My research focuses primarily on Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering with an emphasis on challenging clinical problems and translational solutions. Our approach is to develop in vivo and in vitro models of musculoskeletal injury and clinically-translatable outcome measures to assess the efficacy of regenerative and tissue engineering solutions.

Professional Background

I completed my graduate work at the University of Cincinnati under the mentorship of Dr. David Butler, a leading expert in tendon and ligament injury and repair, and having later completed a post-doctoral fellowship with Dr. Farshid Guilak at Duke University, at one of the leading orthopaedic research laboratories in the country. In the Fall of 2004, I joined the faculty of the University of Rochester as an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Orthopaedics and Biomedical Engineering. My research focuses primarily on tissue engineering of load bearing connective tissues, including ligament and tendon, cartilage, and bone.

Research

My research focuses primarily on Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering with an emphasis on challenging clinical problems and translational solutions.
Our approach is to develop in vivo and in vitro models of musculoskeletal injury and clinically-translatable outcome measures to assess the efficacy of regenerative and tissue engineering solutions.
Current research projects include:

1. Tissue Engineering of Massive Bone Allograft Union
2. Allografts and Gdf5 Gene Therapy in Flexor Tendon Tissue Engineering
3. Modulating Stem Cell Differentiation using Novel Allograft Scaffolds for Cartilage Repair
4. Fashioning a Superficial Zone-Like Layer in Bioreactor-Cultivated Tissue Engineered Cartilage
5. Evaluating models of human musculoskeletal disease and trauma

Credentials

Education

1993
BS | University of Jordan
Mechanical Engineering

1995
MS | University of Cincinnati
Engineering Mechanics/Biomechanics

1999
PhD | University of Cincinnati
Engineering Mechanics/Biomechanics

Post-doctoral Training & Residency

2000 - 2004
Bioengineering Laboratory (Mentor: Farshid Guilak), Department of Surgery - Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University

Awards

2007
Kappa Delta - Ann Doner Vaughan Award
Sponsor: ORS/AAOS

2005
Early Career Translational Research Award in Biomedical Engineering
Sponsor: Wallace H. Coulter Foundation

1998
Finalist, PhD Student Presentation Competition
Sponsor: ASME IMEC&E – Bioengineering Division

1997
Finalist, PhD Student Presentation Competition
Sponsor: ASME Bioengineering Division

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Patents

Patent Title: Targeted Delivery of Therapeutic Agents With Lyophilized Matrices
Patent #: 8,632,797
Issue Date: Jan 21, 2014
Country: United States
Invented By: Hani A Awad, Edward Michael Schwarz

Patent Title: Protecting and Repairing Cartilage and Musculoskeletal Soft Tissues
Patent #: 2349325
Issue Date: May 30, 2018
Country: Europe
Invented By: Hani A Awad, Susan Bukata, J. Edward Puzas, Randy N Rosier, Erik R Sampson, Michael J Zuscik

Patent Title: Protecting and Repairing Cartilage and Musculoskeletal Soft Tissues
Patent #: FR2349325
Issue Date: May 30, 2018
Country: France
Invented By: Hani A Awad, Susan Bukata, J. Edward Puzas, Randy N Rosier, Erik R Sampson, Michael J Zuscik

Patent Title: Protecting and Repairing Cartilage and Musculoskeletal Soft Tissues
Patent #: 602009052599.9
Issue Date: May 30, 2018
Country: Germany
Invented By: Hani A Awad, Susan Bukata, J. Edward Puzas, Randy N Rosier, Erik R Sampson, Michael J Zuscik

Patent Title: Protecting and Repairing Cartilage and Musculoskeletal Soft Tissues
Patent #: GB2349325
Issue Date: May 30, 2018
Country: United Kingdom
Invented By: Hani A Awad, Susan Bukata, J. Edward Puzas, Randy N Rosier, Erik R Sampson, Michael J Zuscik

Patent Title: Protecting and Repairing Cartilage and Musculoskeletal Soft Tissues
Patent #: 9,192,653
Issue Date: Nov 24, 2015
Country: United States
Invented By: Hani A Awad, Susan Bukata, J. Edward Puzas, Randy N Rosier, Erik R Sampson, Michael J Zuscik

Patent Title: Protecting and Repairing Cartilage and Musculoskeletal Soft Tissues
Patent #: 8,513,193
Issue Date: Aug 20, 2013
Country: United States
Invented By: Hani A Awad, Susan Bukata, J. Edward Puzas, Randy N Rosier, Erik R Sampson, Michael J Zuscik

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Publications

Journal Articles

8/12/2023
Little D, Amadio PC, Awad H, Cone SG, Dyment NA, Fisher MB, Huang AH, Koch DW, Kuntz AF, Madi R, McGilvrey K, Schnabel LV, Shetye SS, Thomopoulos S, Zhao C, Soslowsky LJ. "Preclinical Tendon and Ligament Models: Beyond the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement) to 5W1H (Why, Who, What, Where, When, How)." Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society.. 2023 Aug 12; Epub 2023 Aug 12.

6/13/2023
Lake SP, Snedeker JG, Wang VM, Awad H, Screen HRC, Thomopoulos S. "Guidelines for ex vivo mechanical testing of tendon." Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society.. 2023 Jun 13; Epub 2023 Jun 13.

5/4/2023
Alenchery RG, Ajalik RE, Jerreld K, Midekksa F, Zhong S, Alkatib B, Awad HA. "PAI-1 mediates TGF-?1 induced myofibroblast activation in tenocytes via mTOR signaling." Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society.. 2023 May 4; Epub 2023 May 04.

Books & Chapters

2003
Chapter Title: Assessment of function in Tendon and Ligament Repair
Book Title: Functional Tissue Engineering
Author List: Butler D, Dressler M, Awad H
Edited By: F Guilak, DL Butler, SA Goldstein, DJ Mooney
Published By: Springer-Verlag 2003 in New York, NY

2002
Chapter Title: Biomaterials for Cartilage Tissue Engineering
Book Title: Tissue Engineering and Biodegradable Equivalents
Author List: Awad H, Erickson G, Guilak F
Edited By: K-U Lewandrowski, DL Wise, DJ Trantolo, JD Gresser, MJ Yaszemski, DE Altobelli
Published By: Marcel Dekker Inc. 2002 in New York, NY

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