Richard F. Loeser, Jr., MD

EMAIL: richard_loeser@med.unc.edu

PERSONAL WEBSITE: https://www.med.unc.edu/tarc/research/basic-and-translational-research/labs/loeser/

PUBLICATIONS: Publications Link

Dr. Richard F. Loeser, MD, is the Joseph P. Archie Jr., Eminent Professor in the Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology and the Director of the Thurston Arthritis Research Center at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Dr. Loeser’s lab employs a combination of in vitro experiments using human joint tissue cells and in vivo experiments in rodent models to study cell signaling pathways that regulate anabolic and catabolic activity responsible for joint tissue remodeling and destruction in osteoarthritis (OA). Longstanding projects in the lab include studies to decipher α5β1 integrin signaling in response to matrix damage and studies examining the role of aging and cell senescence in OA. The lab is particularly interested in determining how reactive oxygen species regulate chondrocyte signaling. Most recently his lab has started a small molecule discovery program for disease modification in OA and is working collaboratively on a genomics project to identify causal genes in OA. Dr. Loeser has also worked in the area of clinical trials of exercise and weight loss interventions for adults with osteoarthritis of the knee and studied the role of the gut microbiome in OA associated with obesity.