| Start Date: | 4/28/2021 | Start Time: | 9:00 AM |
| End Date: | 4/28/2021 | End Time: | 10:30 AM |
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Event Description
BIOMED / Global Innovation Partnerships (GIP) Dual Seminar
Title:
1. Discover Novel AAVs for Deafness Gene Therapy and Precise Hair Cell Regeneration
2. Pivotal Roles of Pericellular Microniche in Cell-Matrix Cross-talk and Disease Initiation
Speakers:
Guisheng Zhong, PhD
Associate Professor
School of Life Science Technology
ShanghaiTech University
Lin Han, PhD
Associate Professor
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
Drexel University
Details:
Discover Novel AAVs for Deafness Gene Therapy and Precise Hair Cell Regeneration – Guisheng Zhong, PhD
The dysfunction of hair cells causes irreversible hearing loss. There is no effective biological way to treat this sensory disease. My research interest is to develop new gene therapies and precise hair cell regeneration for deafness by using novel adeno-associated viruses (AAVs). My group developed a novel AAV variant, AAV-ie (inner ear), which highly transduces the supporting cells. AAV-ie can induce hair cell regeneration in in vivo animal models, and may have the potential to treat acquired hearing disorders caused by aging, medicine, or other stressors. AAV-ie has the potential to treat genetic deafness with gene dysfunction in supporting cells, like GJB2. I will discuss the recent progress in discovering novel AAVs, which can transduce cochlear cells with high specificity and efficiency, and will also discuss the potential to treat auditory disorders.
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Pivotal Roles of Pericellular Microniche in Cell-Matrix Cross-talk and Disease Initiation – Lin Han, PhD
In many tissues, cells reside in a distinctive, μm-thick microniche, known as the “pericellular matrix” (PCM). Owing to its immediate contact with cells, the PCM plays central roles in mediating cell-matrix cross-talk and matrix assembly. Integrating nanomechanics, mechanobiology and genetic murine models, our lab established a unique toolset to assess the function, degradation and therapeutic potential of PCM. Using post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) as the model disease, we showed that the PCM is where the disease originates, and its degeneration precedes overt cartilage damage and contributes to disrupted cell mechanotransduction. In turn, rescuing the PCM effectively ameliorates disease progression. Furthermore, when synthetic biomimetic proteoglycans (BPGs) are infiltrated into cartilage and localized in the PCM, both PCM properties and chondrocyte mechanotransduction can be augmented. Thus, targeting the PCM is a novel and promising path for developing early disease detection, intervention, and tissue regeneration strategies.
Biosketches:
Guisheng Zhong, PhD, received his bachelors degree from Anhui University in 1999, his masters degree from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2002, and his PhD from Cornell University in 2007. He did his post-doctorate training at Cornell University and Harvard University. In 2015, Dr. Zhong came to ShanghaiTech University to establish his research group. His research interests include developing effective treatments, such as gene therapy, hair cell regeneration, and small molecules for hearing loss.
Lin Han, PhD, is an associate professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems at Drexel University. His research focuses on understanding the mechanobiological roles of matrix collagens and proteoglycans, as well as their applications in tissue regeneration and disease treatment. Dr. Han's research program is currently funded by multiple grants from NIH and NSF. He is the recipient of the NSF CAREER Award, and also the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Kappa Delta Young Investigator Award. |
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Audience:
Undergraduate StudentsGraduate StudentsFacultyStaff |
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