Integrated Regenerative Rehabilitation Strategies for Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis

Center for Translational Biomedical Research

Principal Investigator and Mentor: Vice President and Robert and Leona DeArmond Executive Director Robert Guldberg

External Funding: Human Performance Initiative

Candidate: Lina Mancipe Castro

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a joint degenerative disease that affects more than 30 million adults in the U.S. and is the leading cause of disability in the country. Currently, there are no FDA-approved drugs able to mitigate or halt its progression, and its treatment is limited to pain management via physical therapy, weight reduction when possible, systemic administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and injection of viscosupplements.  The effectiveness of stem cell treatments and other therapeutics has been limited by inadequate intra-articular delivery strategies that provide targeted and sustained delivery to the affected joint.  This project will build on recent work on microfluidic manufacturing microgels functionalized with peptides to target delivery to synovium, cartilage, and exposed bone. In addition, the interactive role of rehabilitation timing and intensity on the effectiveness of intra-articular treatments will be investigated.

Principal Investigator and Mentor:

Robert Guldberg portrait

Robert Guldberg
Vice President and Robert and Leona DeArmond Executive Director, Knight Campus


Candidate:

castro

 

Lina Maria Mancipe Castro

Lina Maria Mancipe Castro completed her doctorate at Georgia Tech where she studied tissue-binding nano-composite microgels as an intra-articular drug delivery system for osteoarthritis treatment. Now, as part of her fellowship, she works in the lab of Knight Campus Vice President and Robert and Leona DeArmond Executive Director Robert Guldberg to study improving Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) therapeutic efficacy via intra-articular delivery vehicles and rehabilitation programs. With both her knees injured, Lina is motivated to significantly contribute to the field such that the clinical translation of an effective treatment for osteoarthritis could be possible in the near future. View full CV.