Robert Lane Smith
Academic Appointments
- Emeritus (Active) Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery
- Emeritus Faculty, Acad Council, Orthopaedic Surgery
- Member, Bio-X
Key Documents
Contact Information
- Academic Offices
Personal Information Email Tel (650) 725-6633
Scientific Focus
Current Research Interests
Our group is interested in the molecular and cell biology underlying bone and cartilage metabolism in health and disease. Normal daily activities are linked to the ability of the articular cartilage to withstand normal joint forces that may reach 5-7 times body weight and bone homeostasis depends on daily mechanical loading histories. The phenotypic stability of cartilage and bone depends on a complex interplay between stimuli influencing cell metabolism, physical forces, cytokines, hormones and growth factors, and the genetic expression determining the material properties of the tissue. Our lab applies modern biochemical techniques to analyze:
1. Mechanisms of cartilage degradation in inflammation and sepsis;
2. Stimulation of cartilage growth and repair by growth factors and hormones in serum-free culture;
3. Effects of adherence and deposition of glycocalyx on bacterial resistance to antibiotic treatment;
4. Effects of mechanical stresses and strains on cartilage and bone cell gene expression and matrix
syntheses;
5. Analysis of metal particles on bone resorption and prosthetic loosening in total joint arthroplasty.
The experimental techniques include development of primary cultures of human chondrocytes, quantification of proteoglycan and collagen synthesis and degradation, zymogen and kinetic analysis of neutral metalloproteinases, western analysis of protein expression, northern and slot blot analysis of mRNA levels and cloning of connective tissue and bacterial genes.
Publications
- A relationship between mechanically-induced changes in serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) and changes in cartilage thickness after 5 years. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2012; (11): 1309-15
- Effect of a CCR1 receptor antagonist on systemic trafficking of MSCs and polyethylene particle-associated bone loss. Biomaterials. 2012; (14): 3632-8
- Functional assessment of the acute local and distal transplantation of human neural stem cells after spinal cord injury. Spine J. 2012; (11): 1040-4
- Local effect of IL-4 delivery on polyethylene particle induced osteolysis in the murine calvarium. J Biomed Mater Res A. 2012
- The effect of suture coated with mesenchymal stem cells and bioactive substrate on tendon repair strength in a rat model. J Hand Surg Am. 2012; (8): 1639-45
- Cross-relaxation imaging of human articular cartilage. Magn Reson Med. 2011; (3): 725-34
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