Title:

The Biological Regulation of Matrix Quality in Skeletal Tissues

Speaker:

Dr. Simon Tang

Affiliation:

University of California, San Francisco

When:

Friday, January 20, 2012 at 1:00:00 PM   Add to Calendar

Where:

IBB Building, Room 1128

Host:

James Godard
james.godard@ibb.gatech.edu

Abstract

Orthopedic tissues including bone, cartilage, and the intervertebral disc provide structural support and enable mechanical functions in the skeleton. The proper mechanical behavior of these tissues is critically dependent on the quality of the extracellcular matrix. Matrix quality in turn is uniquely maintained and regulated by a number of biological mechanisms, which require precise synergies amongst the cellular activity, the regulation of growth factors, and the biological responsiveness to the mechanical stimulation. Furthermore, disruptions in these regulatory processes have adverse consequences, leading to fragility fractures, osteoarthritis, and degenerative disc disease. This talk will focus on recent findings identifying some of the mechanisms that regulate matrix quality in bone, and how they are altered with aging and disease. The furthered understanding of these mechanisms will aid in improving existing clinical diagnosis of skeletal fragility as well as provide new insights to the development of treatments and drug therapies.

Biography

r. Tang earned his bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley, and Master and Ph.D. degrees in Biomedical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is currently a NIH NRSA postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center. His primary research interests are in the field of skeletal biomechanics focused on disease mechanisms and the changes in the structure-function relationships of skeletal tissues, and the development of new and novel therapies for these disorders.