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

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!

Orthopaedic Research Society Spine Section 2016 Annual Meeting

Spine-Section-Awards-1024x684ORS Spine Section 2016 Poster and Podium award winners with ORS Spine Section leadership.

The ORS Spine Section held its first section meeting on Friday, March 4 as part of the ORS 2016 Annual Meeting programming at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida.

The theme for the 2016 meeting was Spine Research for Functional Translation with scientific symposia on animal models and imaging. Invited speakers included spine researchers and clinicians representing academics, government, and industry.

The ORS Spine Section meeting aimed to disseminate cutting edge information on focus topics of interest, to develop & strengthen collaborative research networks, to support young investigators, and to engage clinicians & industry experts.  Dr. James Iatridis (shown sixth from left) served as the Chair of the newly created ORS Spine section for 2015 and 2016.  Svenja Illien-Junger, PhD (shown third from left) received a Podium Award at for her presentation at this year’s meeting.  In all, Dr. Iatridis’ Spine Bioengineer Lab had nine podium presentations at the ORS.

In addition, Mount Sinai alums Dr. Devina Purmessur and Dr. Nelly Andarawis-Puri organized two popular New Investigator mentoring sessions: I) Successfully competing for a faculty position and II) How to lead and motivate a successful team.  As one of the leaders of Orthopaedic Research, Dr. James Iatridis was invited to give a lecture on “Choosing the right people” for the second session.

The tendon research program was well represented at the ORS this year with three podium presentations given by Dr. Alice Huang, Kristen Howell, and David Shiovitz.  Dr. Huang also served as a moderator for the New Investigator mentoring sessions I and II, as well as Tendon and Ligament: Cell Biology and Development.

James Iatridis to be Inducted into Medical and Biological Engineering Elite

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has announced the pending induction of James Iatridis, Ph.D., Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and of Neurosurgery; Vice-Chair for Research, Department of Orthopedics; Director of Spine Research, Mount Sinai Health System, Leni & Peter W. May Department of Orthopaedics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, to its College of Fellows. Dr. Iatridis was nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows for outstanding contributions to understanding the pathophysiology of injury to and new strategies for the repair of the intervertebral disc.

The College of Fellows is comprised of the top two percent of medical and biological engineers in the country. The most accomplished and distinguished engineering and medical school chairs, research directors, professors, innovators, and successful entrepreneurs, comprise the College of Fellows.

AIMBE Fellows are regularly recognized for their contributions in teaching, research, and innovation. AIMBE Fellows have been awarded the Presidential Medal of Science and the Presidential Medal of Technology and Innovation and many also are members of the National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Sciences.

A formal induction ceremony will be held during AIMBE’s 25th Annual Meeting at the National Academy of Sciences Great Hall in Washington, DC on April 4, 2016. Dr. Iatridis will be inducted along with 160 colleagues who make up the AIMBE College of Fellows Class of 2016. For more information about the AIMBE Annual Meet, please visit www.aimbe.org.

AIMBE’s mission is to recognize excellence in, and advocate for, the fields of medical and biological engineering in order to advance society. Since 1991, AIMBE‘s College of Fellows has lead the way for technological growth and advancement in the fields of medical and biological engineering. Fellows have helped revolutionize medicine and related fields in order to enhance and extend the lives of people all over the world. They have also successfully advocated for public policies that have enabled researchers and business-makers to further the interests of engineers, teachers, scientists, clinical practitioners, and ultimately, patients.

ORS PSRS 3rd International Spine Research Symposium

PSRS-Awards-2015

Mount Sinai Spine was an important sponsor of the ORS PSRS Spine Research Symposium. Many members of the Spine Lab participated in this meeting. Dr. Iatridis was an invited faculty who gave a talk entitled ‘Annulus Fibrosus Repair Strategies in the Intervertebral Disc’. Alumnus, Dr. Devina Purmessur, was an invited speaker on the Special Rising Star Session organized by the ORS Spine Section, and gave a talk on ‘The Role of the IVD Microenvironment on Neurovascular Ingrowth’. Dr. Alon Lai and Visiting Professor, Dr. Hironobu Watanabe (Keiyu Spine Center, Keiyu Orthopedic Hospital, Tatebayashi, Gunma), received a 1st Place Poster Award in the ‘Preclinical, Animal Models, and Clinical’ session (http://www.ors.org/ors-psrs-award-recipients/).

http://www.ors.org/philaspinemeeting/

Dr. James Iatridis awarded 2015 Henry Farfan Award (NASS)

Iatridis

Please join us in congratulating Dr. James Iatridis on being awarded the prestigious Henry Farfan Award at the Annual North American Spine Society (NASS) Meeting in Chicago (October 16, 2015).  The Henry Farfan Award is awarded to those recognized for their outstanding contributions to spine related basic science research and is one of the four esteemed awards presented by NASS to recognize unique and outstanding contributions to the field of spine care and research.  He was nominated by Dr. Andrew Hecht of Mount Sinai and Dr. Christopher Bono of Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

“Dr. Iatridis is a world authority on numerous aspects of disc biology and mechanobiology.  Dr. Iatridis is at the forefront of research on annular repair, disk regeneration, pain biology, studies of the notochord and its function in healthy and degenerated discs.   Dr. Iatridis’s contributions to the field of disk biology are immeasurable, and he continues to run a continuously funded NIAH research lab. He has built a collaborative team of academic spine surgeons, post-doctoral fellows, medical students, orthopedic residents, who all continue to work with him on this ongoing research.   His ability to solve basic science problems and never lose sight of their translational applications is both inspiring and remarkable.   His post-doctoral fellows continue to be sought after candidates all over the country for numerous spine research positions and major academic medical centers.    Dr. Iatridis has an extensive publication history with over 200 publications, peer reviewed, in the areas of disc biology, disk mechanobiology, annular repair, disc mechanics.  Dr. Iatridis continues to be a leader in the field of disc mechanobiology, annular repair and intervertebral disc regeneration for years to come.”

Nominated by Andrew Hecht, MD [Associate Chief of Spine Surgery for the Mount Sinai Health System and Chief of Spine Surgery at the Mount Sinai Hospital]

“Dr.Iatridis has been extremely forward thinking and productive in his basic science research of disc biomechanics and biochemistry. His work is in many respects leading the field, combining the two sub disciplines of basic science in order to lead disc repair.”

Nominated by Christopher Bono, MD  [Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School and Chief of the Orthopedic Spine Service at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH)]

https://www.spine.org/WhoWeAre/GrantsAwards/RecognitionAwards.aspx

http://www.nassdailynews.org/2015-nass-recognition-awards/