| Start Date: | 5/8/2015 | Start Time: | 4:00 PM |
| End Date: | 5/8/2015 | End Time: | 5:30 PM |
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Event Description
X. Lucas Lu, assistant professor in the department of mechanical engineering at the University of Delaware, will discuss how traumatic injuries to the knee joints, such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear or meniscus rupture, are common in young adults and place the injured knee at risk for post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). Repair of injured tissues appears not to reduce this risk, while little is known about the etiology of PTOA. No effective technique is now available to prevent the cartilage from degeneration after joint injuries. Evidence suggests that the systematic injection of bisphosphonates can effectively restrain the initiation of PTOA.
As an FDA approved drug for the treatment of bone loss, bisphosphonate disables the osteoclast by inhibiting its mevalonate pathway. In an effort to understand the cartilage protection mechanism of this drug, we found that bisphosphonate can rescue the cartilage from trauma damage without the presence of bone. Thus the drug can directly regulate the metabolic activities of cartilage cells (chondrocytes) and prohibit them from damaging the cartilage matrix. We are currently conducting studies to identify the chondro-protective mechanisms of bisphosphonates, and testing a new therapeutic technique for PTOA based on this drug. For more info, please visit www.biomed.drexel.edu. |
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Location:
Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building (PISB), Room 120, located at the corner of 33rd and Chestnut Streets. |
Audience:
Undergraduate StudentsGraduate StudentsFacultyStaff |
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