Recent Research

Targeting Endogenous Stem Cells for Critical-Sized Fracture Repair

Bone tissue, which provides major structural and supportive connective tissue to the body, can be lost due to cancer or trauma. When the edges of a fracture are close to each other, bone repair cells are capable of healing the injury. However, when a large piece of bone is missing, these cells cannot bridge the necessary gap for healing, resulting in the need for bone grafting — the current gold-standard therapy. The Gazit Laboratory is developing a novel approach for the treatment of bone fractures without the need for bone grafting. Stem cells are recruited to the fracture site using a collagen matrix and then a bone-forming gene is directly delivered to the stem cells using an ultrasound pulse. The pulse is localized to the defect site, oscillating microbubbles to increase the uptake of the desired gene in nearby osteoprogenitor cells. This proposed therapy has the potential to generate rapid healing of bone fractures and significantly decrease patient hospitalization, loss of working days and significant healthcare costs.
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Non-Invasive Method For Diagnosing Back Pain

More than 85 percent of the United States population suffers from low back pain, much of which is caused by intervertebral disc degeneration. Disc degeneration is a progressive condition, resulting in chronic pain in the back and neck. For some patients, degeneration can occur for years before pain sets in, presenting symptoms, while others are affected almost immediately. Currently, identifying the exact disc that is the source of pain involves painful and invasive diagnostic procedures, in which physicians inject a contrast agent or non-toxic dye into patients’ spinal discs. We are developing an imaging technique using magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, which can identify specific biomarkers to potentially provide a noninvasive diagnostic approach to low back pain. This technology, which has been tested on patients and in the laboratory, enabled us to precisely pinpoint the origin of pain. In addition, our research team is interested in the role of stem cells in disc disease and how we can utilize these cells to regenerate the disc and turn it back into a functional tissue.
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Regeneration of Multiple Rib Fractures

Multiple rib fracture is a challenging condition that may lead to devastating complications, yet there is no regenerative treatment available for patients beyond pain control. The aim of this project is to develop stem cell therapy to heal broken ribs. Our unique approach is based on administrating the cells systemically to patients’ whole body, and targeting the cells to the injured site, rather than direct cell application into the inflamed fractured site. We use similar imaging tools as described above and study whether the proposed treatment improves functional parameters such as pain.
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Molecular Mechanisms of the Anabolic Effects of Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) in Craniofacial Grafts

We have demonstrated that PTH mobilizes patients own stem cells and induces differentiation to bone forming cells. We also showed that the hormone modulates the evolving vascular tree so that immune cell infiltration is delayed, ultimately leading to reduced fibrosis. The aim of this project is to decipher the exact molecular and cellular signaling mechanisms that induce the PTH beneficial effects. For this purpose, we study several lines of transgenic mice in which PTH signaling is either overexpressed or muted in osteoblasts or endothelial cells. We use a variety of micro-imaging applications, including unique micro-Computed Tomography (μCT)-based imaging of small animal vasculature, in-house developed MRI protocol that enables discretion of fibrosis and young bone formation, bioluminescence imaging of stem cell recruitment and differentiation, and more.
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