RESEARCH INTEREST
The main objective of Professor Athanasiou's research is to understand and enhance the healing processes of cartilage. Indeed, successful cartilage regeneration continues to be the most vexing problem in musculoskeletal medicine. Following trauma (such as sports injuries) or pathologic affliction (such as osteoarthritis), cartilage is unable to heal itself in a way that would allow it to function properly under its strenuous and biomechanically difficult environment.
Of particular interest in our efforts are 1) hyaline articular cartilage, found in diarthrodial joints such as the knee, hip, and shoulder, 2) menisci, in the knee and temporomandibular joint (TMJ), and 3) fibrocartilage in the TMJ. Our approach entails the use of biodegradable scaffolds designed to incorporate suitable bioactive agents and signals to regenerate cartilage. We also place particular emphasis on certain aspects of scaffold design and overall approach. These include 1) biomechanical characterization of cartilage, 2) cell adhesion to substrata, and 3) attachment and effects of growth factors on chondrocytes.
In terms of cartilage biomechanics, we perform topographical characterizations of articulating surfaces using compressive indentation loading and tensile testing. To this end, we use custom-made instruments which allow us to obtain these tissues' viscoelastic properties. We also develop biomechanical approaches to quantify cartilage structural integrity in vivo and arthroscopically. One of the main issues in scaffold design is to encourage cells to adhere correctly. A significant portion of our efforts centers around the elucidation of mechanisms of cell adhesion, defined as cell attachment, cell spreading, organization of actin cytoskeleton, and formation of focal adhesions. We use cytomechanical techniques to measure the mechanical adhesiveness and mechanical properties of individual cells as a function of peptide substrata. We believe that a deeper understanding and control of cell adhesion will result in better tissue engineered cartilage.
RESEARCH FACILITY
Dr. Athanasiou's Lab
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Ofek G.; Wiltz, D.C.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.: Contribution of the cytoskeleton to the compressive properties and recovery behavior of single cells, Biophysical Journal, In Press, 97(7): , 2009.
Ofek, G.; Dowling, E.P.; Raphael, R.M.; McGarry, J.P.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.: Biomechanics of single chondrocytes under direct shear, Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology, DOI 10.1007/s10237-009-0166-1, 2009.
Sanchez-Adams, J.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.: The knee meniscus: A complex tissue of diverse cells, Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering, DOI 10.1007/s12195-009-0066-6, 2009.
Gunja, N.J.; Huey, D.; James, R.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.: Effects of agarose mold compliance and surface roughness on self-assembled meniscus-shaped constructs, Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Accepted, 2009.
Natoli, R.M.; Revell, C.R.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.: Chondroitinase-ABC treatment results in increased tensile properties of self-assembled tissue engineered articular cartilage. Tissue Engineering, In Press, 2009.
Elder, B.D.; Vigneswaran, K.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.; Kim, DH: Biomechanical, biochemical, and histological characterization of canine lumbar facet joint cartilage. Journal of Neurosurgery Spine. 10:623-628, 2009.
Koay, E.J.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.: Articular cartilage biomechanics, mechanobiology, and tissue engineering. Biomechanical Systems Technology: Muscular Skeletal Systems (World Scientific), pp. 1-37, 2009.
Elder, B.D.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.: Effects of temporal hydrostatic pressure on tissue engineered bovine articular cartilage constructs. Tissue Engineering Part A, 15(5):1151-1158, doi:10.1089/ten.tea.2008.0200, 2009.
Ofek, G.; Natoli, R.M.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.: In situ mechanical properties of the chondrocyte cytoplasm and nucleus. Journal of Biomechanics, 42:873-877, 2009.
Elder, B.D.; Eleswarapu, S.V.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.: Evaluating extraction techniques for the decellularization of tissue engineered articular cartilage constructs. Biomaterials, 30:3749-3756, doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2009.03.050, 2009.
Responte, D.; Natoli, R.M.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.: Collagens of articular cartilage: structure, function, and importance in tissue engineering, Critical Reviews in Biomedical Engineering, 35(5):363-411, 2009.
Gunja, N.J.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.: Effects of co-cultures of meniscus cells and articular chondrocytes on PLLA scaffolds. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 103(4):808-816, DOI 10.1002/bit.22301, 2009.
Ofek, G.; Willard, V.P.; Koay, E.J.; Hu, J.C.; Lin, P.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.: Mechanical characterization of differentiated human embryonic stem cells. Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 131(6), 061011 DOI:10.1115/1.3127262, 2009.
Koay, E.J.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.: Development of serum-free, chemically defined conditions for human embryonic stem cell-derived fibrochondrogenesis. Tissue Engineering Part A, 15(8):2249-2257, doi:10.1089/ten.tea.2008.0320, 2009.
Gunja, N.J.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.: Effects of hydrostatic pressure on leporine meniscus cell-seeded PLLA scaffolds. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, Part A, Part A, March 12 [Epub ahead of print], 2009.
DiCarlo, B.B.; Hu, J.C.; Gross, T.; Vago, R.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.: Biomaterial effects in articular cartilage tissue engineering using polyglycolic acid, a novel marine origin biomaterial, IGF-I, and TGF-β1: Proc. IMechE, Part H: J. Engineering in Medicine, 223(H1):63-73. DOI: 10.1243/09544119JEIM424, 2009.
Anderson (Johns), D.E. and ATHANASIOU, K.A.: A comparison of primary and passaged chondrocytes for use in engineering the temporomandibular joint. Archives of Oral Biology, 54:138–145, 2009.
Elder, B.D.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.: Hydrostatic pressure in articular cartilage tissue engineering: From chondrocytes to tissue regeneration, Tissue Engineering, Part B: Reviews, 15(1):43-53. doi:10.1089/ten.teb.2008.0435, 2009.
Gunja, N.J.; Uthamanthil, R.K.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.: Effects of TGF-beta 1 and hydrostatic pressure application on meniscus cell-seeded scaffolds, Biomaterials, 30:565-573, 2009.
Elder, B.D.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.: Systematic assessment of growth factor treatment on biochemical and biomechanical properties of engineered articular cartilage constructs. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 17:114-123, 2009.
Deng, Y., Gunja, N.J., ATHANASIOU, K.A.: “Perspectives and possibilities for degradable polymers for skeletal implants" In Degradable polymers for skeletal implants. Nova Science Publishers Inc. Hauppage, NY Editors: Wuisman, P and Smit, T.
Natoli, R.M.; Responte, D.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.: Effects of multiple chondroitinase ABC applications on tissue engineered articular cartilage. Journal of Orthopedic Research, 27(7):949-956, http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/121606154/PDFSTART, 2009.
Revell, C.M., ATHANASIOU, K.A.: Success rates and immunologic responses of autogenic, allogenic, and xenogenic treatments to repair articular cartilage defects. Tissue Engineering Part B: Reviews, 15(1):1-15, doi:10.1089/ten.teb.2008.0189, 2009.
Anderson (Johns), D.E. and ATHANASIOU, K.A.: Passaged goat costal chondrocytes provide a feasible cell source for temporomandibular joint tissue engineering. Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 36(12):1992-2001, 2008.
Hoben, G.M.; ATHANASIOU, K.A.: Use of staurosporine, an actin modifying agent, to enhance fibrochondrocyte matrix gene expression and synthesis. Cell and Tissue Research, 334(3):469-476, 2008.
AUTHORED BOOKS
ATHANASIOU, K.A.; Natoli, R.: Introduction to Continuum Biomechanics. San Rafael: Morgan & Claypool Publishers, 2008. ISBN: 9781598296174 (paperback). ISBN: 9781598296181 (ebook).
Textbook for upper level undergraduate students and 1st year graduate students; for upper level course on a continuum-based approach to biomechanics.
ATHANASIOU, K.A.; Sanchez-Adams, J.: Engineering the Knee Meniscus. San Rafael: Morgan & Claypool Publishers, 2009. ISBN: 9781598298727 (paperback). ISBN: 9781598298734 (ebook).
Monograph
ATHANASIOU, K.A.; Darling, E.; Hu, J.: Tissue Engineering of Articular Cartilage. San Rafael: Morgan & Claypool Publishers, In preparation (manuscript in preparation).
Monograph
ATHANASIOU, K.A.; Almarza, A.J.; Detamore, M.; Kalpakci, K.: Tissue Engineering of Temporomandibular Joint Cartilage. San Rafael: Morgan & Claypool Publishers, 2009. ISBN: 9781598299960 (paperback). ISBN: 9781598299977 (ebook).
Textbook for graduate students, dental/medical students, and residents; for upper level course in tissue engineering of oral and maxillofacial tissues.
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