"Neuroplasticity in the knee joint: More than just pain." Brief Description: I will describe the sensory innervation of the joint, its anatomical and molecular properties, and how these properties change in the course of osteoarthritis (=neuroplasticity). I will discuss the biological role of this neuroplasticity in pain and in joint homeostasis. Anne-Marie Malfait, MD, PhD … Continued

"DNA damage and cellular senescence in osteoarthritis pathophysiology.” Brief Description: Aging is the largest risk factor for osteoarthritis, but the mechanisms responsible for this relationship are unclear. Damaged cells can convert to a phenotypic state known as cellular senescence, and senescent cells are associated with compromised tissue function. This talk will focus on our efforts … Continued

"Genomic Approaches to Understanding the Genetic Risk of Osteoarthritis" Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified over 100 osteoarthritis (OA)-associated loci; however, translating these broad loci into actionable therapeutic targets requires identifying the causal variants, the gene(s) they affect, and their mechanistic impact on OA risk. We apply genomic, bioinformatics, and genome editing approaches to identify … Continued

"A new approach to infectious arthritis: understanding bacterial behavior in synovial fluid and developing a novel therapeutic" Brief Description: This seminar will highlight our group's work on how and why bacteria form free-floating biofilms in synovial fluid including our ex-vivo model system. The seminar will then focus on our development of a novel therapeutic, BIO-PLY, … Continued