BME PhD Proposal

Date: August 10th, 2015

Time: 10:30 am

Place: IBB 1128

Committee:

Robert E Guldberg, Ph.D. (ME, Georgia Tech)(Advisor) Johnna S Temenoff, Ph.D. (BME, Georgia Tech) Krishnendu Roy, Ph.D. (BME, Georgia Tech) C Ross Ethier, Ph.D. (BME, Georgia Tech) Conan S Young, Ph.D. (MiMedx Group, LLC)

Title: In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of an ECM-based OA Therapy

Abstract:

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease estimated to affect 10-12% of the adult US population and there are currently no clinically proven disease modifying therapies. Micronized dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane (μ-dHACM) is an extracellular matrix (ECM)-based therapy that has been shown to attenuate OA progression in rats but many of the underlying mechanisms and design variables involved with μ-dHACM are not well understood. The primary objective of this proposed research is to investigate factors that influence the therapeutic benefit of potential disease modifying OA therapies. Specifically this work will (i) develop a technological platform using contrast enhanced microCT to quantify cartilage surface roughness and utilize this platform to characterize early articular joint tissue changes in a rat OA model, (ii) use near-infrared fluorescent tracking and contrast enhanced microCT to evaluate the effect of μ-dHACM particle size on the intra-articular residence time and therapeutic efficacy in a rat OA model, and (iii) utilize synoviocyte and cartilage co-culture models to investigate the effect of interactions between synovium and μ-dHACM on OA disease progression. This work will increase the scientific community’s understanding of the factors influencing the efficacy of μ-dHACM treatment for OA. It will also increase the characterization and understanding of the in vivo and in vitro models used to investigate these factors.