On Friday 16 July 2021 Dr Diane Wagner from the Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI) will give a seminar for the Insigneo Insitute at 3pm on ‘Mechanical wear in native and crosslinked cartilage tissue’.  This event will take place online (Insigneo Members please check your calendar invitations for joining details) to request an invitation please contact info@insigneo.org.

Abstract

Osteoarthritis, a debilitating disease of articular joints, is characterized by breakdown of cartilage tissue. Although the progression of osteoarthritis is complex, it involves mechanical wear and damage, and in particular the interplay between catabolic degeneration and mechanical integrity of the tissue. We developed accelerated, in vitro wear tests to investigate the nature of cartilage wear. From biochemical measurements of matrix components released during the wear test and imaging techniques to assess collagen damage, native cartilage wear was assessed to better understand the roles of tissue composition/structure and enzymatic degradation in mechanical wear of articular cartilage. As a novel technique to prevent the progression of osteoarthritis, collagen crosslinking treatments that strengthen cartilage tissue and prevent cartilage degradation were established. These treatments increase cartilage tissue’s elastic modulus, wear resistance, and resistance to enzymatic digestion in both healthy and impact-damaged cartilage. Our lab has also developed photo-initiated crosslinking strategies, which could be a foundation for a minimally invasive treatment to strengthen cartilage tissue. These studies improve understanding of the mechanisms of cartilage wear and suggest new treatment modalities for the prevention of osteoarthritis.

About the Speaker

Dr. Diane Wagner obtained her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and worked as a mechanical engineer in industry before pursuing her graduate degree. She obtained her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 2002, where her graduate research focused on constitutive modeling of orthopaedic tissues. In her postdoctoral research at Stanford University she investigated the effects of mechanics on adult mesenchymal stem cells. She held a faculty position at University of Notre Dame for 10 years before transitioning to her current position as an Associate Professor in the department of Mechanical Engineering at IUPUI. Her current research efforts are in the areas of cartilage wear and tissue mechanics, post-traumatic osteoarthritis, and chondrocyte mechanobiology.