James E. Dennis, PhD, Assistant Professor

This laboratory focuses on several projects in the area of tissue engineering of cartilage and bone. A major focus area is the development of culture methods that allow for the efficient expansion and differentiation of chondrocytes isolated from different anatomic locations, such as the ear, nose or joints. After expansion, bioreactors of different designs are tested for their ability to fabricate cartilage tissue needed for different clinical applications, such as joint repair and tracheal reconstruction. We have recently developed a method to produce very large sheets of cartilage using no carrier scaffold material and are developing ways to apply this material to the repair of joints and trachea. Another study, conducted in collaboration with Aastrom Biosciences, Inc. in Ann Arbor, MI, is centered around the optimization of the expansion of bone marrow-derived osteogenic cells in a Single Pass Perfusion (SPP) bioreactor system and the identification of cell surface markers that are predictive of in vivo bone formation. These studies are directed at using these SPP-expanded cells for repair of bone non-unions, and several FDA-approved clinical trials using SPP-derived cells, termed Tissue Repair Cells (TRC), are ongoing.

Victor M. Goldberg, MD, Professor

Research Interests: Cartilage metabolism, bone transplantation, models of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and biomechanics of joints and joint replacement.

Dr. Goldberg’s basic research includes investigations in bone and cartilage transplantation, new approaches to bone repair, and the exploration of new generations of prosthetic knee and hip joints. Dr. Goldberg’s laboratory is investigating the approaches to the use of cellular-based technology in the repair of full- and partial-thickness articular cartilage defects. Studies have included investigations of bone and cartilage transplants with focus on experimental models evaluating the interplay of vascularization and immune response of the host. These projects are closely related to other projects by faculty involving matrix molecular biology and cartilage repair technologies. The basic concept continues to be the use of novel cellular constructs using mesenchymal stem cells as the basis for the repair of full- and partial- thickness defects of articular cartilage. New materials and interfaces are being explored with other investigators to develop new generations of prosthetic knee and hip joints, with the ultimate aim of optimal design and interface characteristics.