Profile Summary

My research goal is to investigate and develop stem cell-based approaches to regenerate skeletal tissues, cartilage and bone, for orthopedic applications. We focus on solving two unmet challenges: 1) impact of cellular senescence associated with donor age and in vitro culture on lineage differentiation of stem cells and 2) controlled chondrogenic differentiation of stem cells into functional hyaline chondrocytes/cartilage. Our group uses induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) created through direct reprogramming of somatic cells by the integration-free episomal approach to address these challenges. Our research strategies and directions are promising because we have demonstrated that cellular reprogramming rejuvenates mesenchymal stem cells to enhance their properties for skeletal regeneration, and iPSCs are systemically induced into functional chondrocytes for hyaline cartilage formation.