JAMES ANDERSON
Dr. Anderson is Professor of Pathology, Macromolecular Science, and Biomedical Engineering. His current research activities include the retrieval and evaluation of human implants, their interactions with soft and hard tissues, and the cellular and humoral biocompatibility of implant materials. In particular, he has an interest in the connective tissue responses to implant materials and the role of cellular adhesion and activation on implant materials.

JOHN BLACKWELL
Dr. Blackwell is Professor of the Department of Macromolecular Science at Case Institute. His primary research involves the physical chemical measurements of solution properties of complex polysaccharides. Both classical and dynamic light scattering methods are being used to study the structure of complex carbohydrates, including connective tissue proteoglycans, salivary and gastric mucins, and other molecules of biological interest. Dr. Blackwell provides the interesting and useful dimension of understanding physical-chemical properties of complex macromolecules and is able to interface these measurements with an understanding of how these molecules work in complex tissues such as cartilage and bone.

ARNOLD I. CAPLAN
Dr. Caplan, Professor of Biology at Case Western Reserve University and the Director of the Skeletal Research Center, is involved in all of the research and experimentation associated with the center staff and center faculty. During the last 30 years here at Case Western Reserve University, Dr. Caplan has become recognized as a prominent member of the research community involved with understanding aspects of the molecular and cellular details of the embryological development of both cartilage and bone. His biochemical and morphological studies associated with the embryology of hard tissue have been recognized on national and international levels and have resulted in over 300 publications in scholarly journals or books. In particular, his recent studies indicate that some of the essential steps in embryonic bone formation have been incorrectly understood for a number of years. Using monoclonal antibodies and other biochemical probes, he and his collaborators have begun to unravel some of the molecular and cellular control mechanisms involved with both cartilage and bone morphogenesis. In addition, his recent studies associated with the isolation of bioactive factors from adult bone have brought him into the area of bone and cartilage repair. He has collaborative interactions with all of the members of the center faculty and provides the center with its core technology as related to cartilage and bone repair and development.

DAVID CARRINO
David A. Carrino, Ph.D. is Research Professor of Biology. His research interests are in the area of extracellular matrix molecules, specifically proteoglycans. His earlier work involved analysis of proteoglycans produced by skeletal muscle during development and regeneration. His current work is focused on the proteoglycans of human skin from individuals of various ages. Data from this work indicate that these molecules vary in an age-related way. These differences result from both biosynthesis and catabolism. The age-related pattern of proteoglycans can be used to assess the age equivalence of in vitro fabrications of human skin cells. Most recently, his work has involved analysis of proteoglycans of different types of fibrotic tissues, such as hypertrophic scar, keloid scar, and uterine fibroid. These analyses show that the proteoglycans produced in fibrotic tissues differ from those produced in the corresponding unaffected tissues.

DWIGHT T. DAVY
Dr. Davy is Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Case Institute. His primary interest is in the evaluation of the mechanical properties of hard tissue. In particular, he is interested in how design features of prosthetic devices can be integrated with the mechanical and load requirements of long bones. His laboratory is capable of measuring the mechanical properties of the bone-metal interface and establishing quantitative parameters of transplant success.

JAMES DENNIS
James E. Dennis, Ph.D. is currently investigating the regulation of multi-potential progenitor cell differentiation in a conditionally immortalized mouse cell line isolated from marrow. The object of this research is to define how positive and negative regulators of mesenchymal cell differentiation work in concert with transcription factors to guide the differentiation process along a specific lineage pathway. This line of research also addresses the issue of plasticity among the different mesenchymal phenotypes.
Another primary line of research for Dr. Dennis is the identification, isolation and characterization of the molecules that regulate the mineralization process in the avian eggshell. The long term goal of this study is to determine the underlying biochemical principles that guide the biomineralization process.
Dr. Dennis also directs the Morphology Facility within the Skeletal Research Center which provides expertise and services for researchers using histology, electron microscopy, and immunochemistry.

STANTON L. GERSON
Dr. Gerson’s laboratory’s long-standing interest is in evaluating the role of the DNA repair protein O6 alkyguanine-DNA alkyltransferase. One focus is its role in tumor drug resistance to nitrosoureas. He has been a leader in the discovery and development of the AGT modulator O6 benzylguanine. He has demonstrated the efficacy of O6 benzylguanine as a modulator in colon and breast cancer models. This observation has now been extended to a variety of other tumor types and has recently led to the introduction of O6 benzylguanine to the clinic as a modulator of AGT-directed DNA repair. The second focus is in gene therapy using AGT overexpression to protect bone marrow from chemotherapy; a clinical gene therapy is now underway. With Dr. Lili Liu, he has evaluated methoxyamino, an inhibitor of base excision repair, as a potentiator of methylating agent chemotherapy. Dr. Gerson plays an active role in the development of new therapeutics as the Associate Director for Clinical Research.

VICTOR M. GOLDBERG
Dr. Goldberg is the former Chairman of the Department of Orthopædic Surgery in the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. 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. He is involved in a nationwide study to evaluate the new era of “cementless” prosthetic implants in which bony in-growth is used to fix these prostheses and to replace the commonly used acrylic cement. In addition, his basic research involves the evaluation cell-based technology in the repair of full- and partial-thickness articular cartilage defects. 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.He is also studying methods of improving bone repair when transplantation of bone is necessary to reconstruct skeletal defects.

ALEXANDER M. JAMIESON
Dr. Jamieson is Professor and Chairman of Macromolecular Science at Case Institute. Dr. Jamieson is pioneering the use of laser light scattering techniques to analyze the solution properties of proteoglycans. These measurements not only give absolute indications of molecular weight and other properties, but also indicate the degree of interaction of individual molecules. He is currently correlating these measurements with electron microscopic visualization of the molecules involved. In addition, pilot experiments are now under way to stimulate how these complex polysaccharide-containing molecules interact in concentrated gels, similar to the situation in cartilage in vivo.

DONALD P. LENNON
Donald P. Lennon, D.D.S. is the Director of the Cell Culture Facility of the Skeletal Research Center. He has over 20 years of experience in culturing avian and mammalian cell isolates. He has been involved in the development of chemically defined media for Stage 24 chick limb bud mesenchymal cells and for rat marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs) and he supervises the screening of fetal bovine serum for serum-supplemented cultivation of many different cell types. Dr. Lennon is currently involved in investigating the effect of reduced oxygen tension on cultured rMSCs.

JOSEPH M. MANSOUR
Joseph M. Mansour, Ph.D. is Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Case Institute. His research is concerned with the mechanical behavior of cartilaginous tissues in normal, diseased, and repaired states. He uses both mathematical and experimental models to characterize the tissue. Mechanical characterization is an essential component of the overall understanding of these tissues which perform a mechanical function.

ROLAND MOSKOWITZ
Dr. Moskowitz is Professor of Medicine and the Director of the Rheumatic Disease Unit at University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The overall goals of his basic and clinical investigational studies are to further identify the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of osteoarthritis and applicability to human disease in order to develop an accurate “marker” for diagnosis and disease follow-up and to develop specific therapeutic agents to prevent, retard, or reverse the disease process. In these efforts he has developed a number of animal models to investigate aspects of osteoarthritis and spondylosis. These model systems provide the basis for both morphological and biochemical studies into aspects of osteoarthritis.

LUIS A. SOLCHAGA
Luis A. Solchaga, Ph.D. is currently Assistant Professor in the School of Medicine (General Medical Sciences, Hematology / Oncology). He joined the Skeletal Research Center after completing his Ph.D. in Pamplona (Spain). His current research focuses on Tissue Engineering and cell-based therapies for the regeneration of skeletal tissues (bone, meniscus, cartilage, tendon/ligament) with special emphasis on articular cartilage regeneration. He is investigating the use of a variety of biocompatible scaffolds in multiple configurations in order to develop customized composite implants (material + cells/growth factors) for specific applications. Dr. Solchaga manages and coordinates basic in vitro experimentation and different animal models in collaboration with other members of the Skeletal Research Center. He is also involved in multi-center research projects with Dr. Mikos at Rice University (Houston) and Dr. Goldstein at Michigan State University (Ann Arbor).

MICHAEL SORRELL
J. Michael Sorrell, Ph.D. is a Senior Research Associate and Director of the Monoclonal Antibody Facility. His current studies are directed towards human dermal fibroblast populations of skin.

JEAN F. WELTER
Jean F. Welter, M.D., Ph.D. is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Biology, and Director of the Bioreactor core facility in the Skeletal Research Center. His current primary research interests include mesenchymal stem cell-based tissue-engineering and cell-based therapies, particularly of cartilage and bone. A major line of work focusses on understanding and meeting the metabolic demands of differentiating stem cells, both through optimization of the cell population and through enhancement of mass-transport in the developing engineered cartilage. Other interests include the development of required ancillary technologies for cartilage tissue engineering, such as bioreactors and monitoring and imaging techniques as well as computer modelling, mechanobiology, and bone grafting and bone-graft substitutes.

The Bioreactor Core facility provides bioreactor culture support for SRC investigators and external collaborators for routine tissue engineering, as well as technical expertise for experimental design and development of project-specific bioreactor systems.