BME7900 Seminar - Heidi Reesink, VMD, PhD

Description

We welcome our next guest speaker, Dr. Heidi Reesink. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine here at Cornell. Investigating the Role of Glycans and Recombinant Lubricin Therapeutics for Orthopedic Disease Abstract: Glycans and glycopolymers, including lubricin and hyaluronic acid, are critical components of orthopedic matrices, including cartilage, synovium and the synovial fluid that lubricates articular joints. Following joint injury, compositional changes to lubricin and hyaluronan can result in impaired functionality, resulting in perpetuation of joint inflammation, cartilage damage and bone pathology. We demonstrate altered metabolism, glycosylation and lubricin expression in synovial fluid from post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) joints, in addition to pathological modifications to hyaluronan. We investigate the impacts of these changes on synovial fluid biophysical properties through multiple particle-tracking microrheology, capillary rheometry and tribology. In addition, we use experimental and naturally-occurring animal models of joint disease to investigate intra-articular lubricin therapy and pharmacokinetics. Lubricin-inspired glycotherapeutics have several potential applications in veterinary and human orthopedics, including treatment of osteoarthritis, tenosynovitis and anti-biofouling/anti-biofilm implant coatings. Bio: Dr. Reesink received her veterinary medical degree (VMD) from the University of Pennsylvania in 2007. She came to Cornell for a large animal surgery residency from 2008-2011 and worked part-time as an Emergency Surgeon from 2012-2016 while completing her PhD in Comparative Biomedical Sciences. She was appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences in 2016. Dr. Reesink is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons with clinical interests in equine and farm animal orthopedic surgery, sports medicine and lameness. She is interested in translating novel research discoveries, including regenerative medicine and lubricin therapy, to equine clinical patients with musculoskeletal disease. Her laboratory investigates the pathophysiology, epidemiology and treatment of osteoarthritis and racehorse fractures.