Degeneration and Regeneration of the Intervertebral Disc

Our lab has 2 points of focus: (1) studying the mechanisms that lead to painful disc degeneration, and (2) developing therapeutic strategies to repair or regenerate the degenerate disc, using 3D printing and stem cell based repair. Students will have the opportunity to work on laboratory studies in evaluating therapeutic interventions using stem cells and/or advancing the translation of 3D printed scaffolds into in vivo studies. Methods include cell culture, imaging, biomechanics, and molecular biology.