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PSRS 2016 meeting – November 4, 2016

PSRS 2016 - Iatridis Lab
Spine Research Lab at Philadelphia Spine Research Symposium (PSRS) in Philadelphia, PA held November 4, 2016.

PSRS 2016 - Olivia and Rose
Olivia Torre (left) and Rose Long (right) after winning first and third prize in podium presentations at the Philadelphia Spine Research Symposium (PSRS) in Philadelphia, PA held November 4, 2016.

On November 4, 2016, the Iatridis Lab attended the 2016 Philadelphia Spine Research Symposium (PSRS) held at Drexel University in Philadelphia.  The meeting aimed to “cover all areas of spine research spanning from basic to clinical, and encompass the broad areas of development, pathophysiology, aging, pain, therapeutics and diagnostics.”

Dr. James Iatridis served as one of the organizers of the upcoming symposium while 4 podium presentations and 1 poster was presented from Mount Sinai.  Rose Long present her podium presentation entitled,  “TGF-β1 Induces a Contractile CD146+ Phenotype of Human Annulus Fibrosus Cells with Affinity to Collagen Scaffold for Annulus Fibrosus Repair and won 3rd prize in podium presentations while Olivia Torre presented her podium presentation entitled, “Development of an In Vivo Model of Neonatal Intervertebral Disc Injury and Regeneration” and won first prize in podium presentations.  In addition, Tom Evashwick-Rogler presented his podium presentation entitled,  “Disc Height Loss, But Not Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine or Substance P Expression, Predicts Intervertebral Disc Degeneration-Related Pain in a Rat Model” and Huizi Anna Lin presented her podium presentation entitiled,  “Injectable Cellulosic Hydrogels as Nucleus Pulposus Replacements: Assessment of Herniation Risk, Fatigue Behavior, and In Vivo Biocompatibility”.   Finally, Warren Hom presented his poster entitled, Cell-Seeded Adhesive Biomaterial for Repair of Annulus Fibrosus Defects in Intervertebral Discs”.

More information about the symposium can be found here:  http://www.philaspinemeeting.org/index.html

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5th Annual Musculoskeletal Repair and Regeneration Symposium – October 13, 2016

Einstein Symposium 2016_resized
Organizers and speakers of the 5th Annual Musculoskeletal Repair and Regeneration Symposium

The Mount Sinai ORL attended the 5th Annual Musculoskeletal Repair and Regeneration Symposium at Albert Einstein College of Medicine on October 13, 2016. The symposium mission is “to expand the knowledge base within the field, and to foster creativity, collaboration and networking between researchers throughout the region.”

During the symposium, Dr. Alice Huang gave a presentation entitled “Regulation of tendon regeneration” and Dr. James Iatridis presented his talk entitled “Injury, inflammation, and altered mechanotransduction in the intervertebral disc” while also serving as the Steering Chair for the “Novel views into musculoskeletal degenerative diseases” session. In addition, Rose Long presented her poster, “CD146+ phenotype of human annulus fibrosus cells induced by TGFβ1 has affinity to collagen scaffold aimed for annulus fibrosus repair” and together Matthew Gluck and Christina Beck presented their posters “In Situ Imaging of Rat Median Nerve Damage Using SHG Microscopy: Advancing Towards an In Vivo Application” and “Biomechanical Analysis of the Reduction and Association of the Scaphoid and Lunate (RASL) Technique: Screw Trajectory Matters”.

More information about the symposium can be found here:https://www.einstein.yu.edu/departments/orthopaedic-surgery/symposium/

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5th Annual Musculoskeletal Repair and Regeneration Symposium – October 13, 2016

Einstein Symposium 2016_resized
Organizers and speakers of the 5th Annual Musculoskeletal Repair and Regeneration Symposium

The Mount Sinai ORL attended the 5th Annual Musculoskeletal Repair and Regeneration Symposium at Albert Einstein College of Medicine on October 13, 2016. The symposium mission is “to expand the knowledge base within the field, and to foster creativity, collaboration and networking between researchers throughout the region.”

During the symposium, Dr. Alice Huang gave a presentation entitled “Regulation of tendon regeneration” and Dr. James Iatridis presented his talk entitled “Injury, inflammation, and altered mechanotransduction in the intervertebral disc” while also serving as the Steering Chair for the “Novel views into musculoskeletal degenerative diseases” session. In addition, Rose Long presented her poster, “CD146+ phenotype of human annulus fibrosus cells induced by TGFβ1 has affinity to collagen scaffold aimed for annulus fibrosus repair” and together Matthew Gluck and Christina Beck presented their posters “In Situ Imaging of Rat Median Nerve Damage Using SHG Microscopy: Advancing Towards an In Vivo Application” and “Biomechanical Analysis of the Reduction and Association of the Scaphoid and Lunate (RASL) Technique: Screw Trajectory Matters”.

More information about the symposium can be found here: https://www.einstein.yu.edu/departments/orthopaedic-surgery/symposium/

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Post-doctoral Fellow – Job Postings

There are immediate openings for two Post-doctoral Fellowships in the Spine Bioengineering Unit of the Orthopaedics Research Labs at Mount Sinai under the guidance of Dr. James Iatridis. The lab focuses on spine research combining bioengineering and biology to investigate pathophysiology of back pain and disc degeneration and to develop regenerative treatments. In support of NIH funded R01 grants. The projects focus on tissue engineering of the intervertebral disc and on mechanisms for diabetes induced disc degeneration. The ideal candidates will have a background in biology or bioengineering with relevant experience on animal models, biological assays, histological methods, mechanical testing and/or computational analyses. This position offers a tremendous learning experience to highly motivated and independent individuals.  A minimum two year commitment is required.  To apply, please submit your CV, a very short description of your research interests and goals, and the names of three references to james.iatridis@mssm.edu.  For more information about the lab, please see our lab web page: https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/iatridislab/

Job Qualifications

Education and Experience:
PhD in bioengineering, biology or related field.

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Associate Researcher – Job Posting

This posting describes a Research Technician position in the Spine Research of the Orthopaedics Research Labs at Mount Sinai under the guidance of Dr. James Iatridis and Svenja Illien-Jünger.  The lab focuses on spine research combining bioengineering and biology to investigate pathophysiology of back pain and disc degeneration and to develop regenerative treatments. In support of a newly funded NIH R01 grant on mechanisms for diabetes induced disc degeneration. The ideal candidate will have a background in biology or bioengineering with relevant experience on animal models, biological assays and histological methods. The candidate will support most aspects of this project and will also have some responsibilities associated with lab maintenance.  This position offers a tremendous learning experience to highly motivated and independent individuals.  A two year commitment is required.  To apply, please submit your CV, a very short description of your research interests and goals, and three references to svenja.illien-junger@mssm.edu.  For more information about the lab, please see our lab web page: https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/iatridislab/

Duties and Responsibilities:
1. Mouse experiments, surgeries and genotyping.
2. Basic molecular biology assays.
3. Immunohistochemistry and histology.
4. Biomechanical testing.
5. Basic tissue culture, tissue engineered constructs, explant cultures.

Job Qualifications

Education:
Bachelor’s Degree in biology, bioengineering or related field.

Experience:
Previous experience in any of the above techniques is not necessary, however preference will be given to those with prior research experience.

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JOR: New Horizons in Spine Research

JOR - New Horizons in Spine ResearchSpecial Issue: New Horizons in Spine Research – Part 1: Disc Biology, Spine Biomechanics, and Pathomechanisms of Back Pain

August 2016

Volume 34, Issue 8

Pages 1283–1491

Issue edited by: James C. Iatridis, James Kang, Rita Kandel, Makarand V. Risbud

To advance novel spine science and collaborations, the 3rd International Spine Research Symposium, co-sponsored by the Philadelphia Spine Research Society (PSRS), NIAMS/NIH and the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS), was held to enhance understanding of the clinical problems associated with degenerative disc disease, and to highlight cutting-edge scientific research in areas of basic biology, epidemiology, disease mechanisms, biomechanics, tissue engineering and imaging of the intervertebral disc (IVD).[4] This special issue on ‘New Horizons in Spine Research’ and a second issue to follow at a later date are outcomes from that meeting, with articles selected from the strong response to the ‘call for papers’. This issue focuses on the fundamental topics of disc ageing and cell biology, spine biomechanics, anatomy and imaging, and pathomechanisms of spine pain. A second special issue will focus on repair and regeneration. This growing passion for advancing spine research and improving spinal health has ignited the spine research community to coalesce within the Orthopaedic Research Society as the newly formed Spine Section (http://www.ors.org/spinesection/) in order to enhance communication and collaboration. Read the issue.

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Gordon Research Conference and Seminar – August 7-12, 2016

Paolo Palacio-Mancheno, Rose Long and Olivia Torre of the Iatridis lab attended the Musculoskeletal Biology & Bioengineering Gordon Research Conference and Seminar at the Proctor Academy in Andover, NH August 7-12, 2016. The theme of the 2016 GRC was “Stepping Across Disciplines to Spur Innovation in Musculoskeletal Biology and Bioengineering” as the goal of the conference was to bring together leaders in the field of musculoskeletal biology and bioengineering to foster new scientific interactions across the field.

During the week long conference, Dr. James Iatridis presented a keynote lecture entitled “Injury, Inflammation, and Altered Mechanotransduction in the Intervertebral Disc” and Rose Long presented a seminar entitled “Induction of Cd146+ Phenotype by Tgfb1 from Human Annulus Fibrosis Cells for Annulus Repair”.  In addition, both Paolo Palacio-Mencheno and Olivia Torre presented their posters “Hyperosmolar Conditions Induce Notochordal Cell Maturation and Matrix Production with Aquaporin3 Upregulation in Nucleus Pulposus” and “Hyperosmolar Conditions Induce Notochordal Cell Maturation and Matrix Production with Aquaporin3 Upregulation in Nucleus Pulposus”, respectively.

Read more about the conference here: https://www.grc.org/programs.aspx?id=10990

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ORL hosts Girls Inc Eureka! Summer Program

018Alice Huang presents background on tendon research in the Huang Lab to Girls Inc students (Photo credit: Nomi Ellenson)

On August 2, the Orthopaedic Research Labs hosted 20 students from the Girls Inc Eureka! Summer Program.  Girls Inc. Eureka! Is a STEM-based approach to engaging and empowering 8th-12th grade girls for future success.  The ORL visit kicked off with scientific presentations by Dr. Alice Huang on tendon research and Dr. James Iatridis on spine research.  Didactic presentations were followed by hands-on rotations through six modules led by our trainees and staff: mouse gait analysis, fluorescence microscopy, tendon tissue engineering, cryosectioning, orthopaedic biomechanics, and spine organ culture.  The event capped with an inspiring Q&A discussion with Dr. Leesa Galatz on what it means to be a clinician-scientist.  Special thanks to Kristen Howell, Jerry Chien, Varun Arvind, Anton Doe, Phil Nasser, Christina Beck, Olivia Torre, and Rose Long for leading the lab modules, LifeSci Advisors for providing lab coats to the students, and all of the Girls Inc students for allowing us to share our love of science with you!

Read more about Girls, Inc. Eureka!’s visit to the ORL:

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/aug/13/science-tech-engineering-math-stem-jobs-gender-gap-new-york

Lab tour with Girls, Inc. Eureka!