RESEARCH FELLOWS
& STUDENT BODY
The Orthopaedic Surgery Lab, under the strategic leadership of doctors Xu Cao, Mei Wan, and Junying Zheng, passionately delves into the molecular mechanisms of osteoarthritis, lower back pain, and rare bone diseases.
Now embracing neuroscience, the team fosters a collaborative and rigorous academic environment, where shared dedication fuels groundbreaking discoveries and scientific excellence.
Dr. Dayu Pan
Post-doctoral Research Fellow
dpan13@jh.edu
Dr. Pan is interested in investigating the mechanism of low back pain signal transmission and bone formation via skeleton interoception, and the treatment effect of modified PTH on low back pain
Recent publications:
Senescence of endplate osteoclasts induces sensory innervation and spinal pain.
Divalent metal cations stimulate skeleton interoception for new bone formation in mouse injury models.
Dr. Pan is willing to work with students on his projects.
Dr. Ningrong Chen
Post-doctoral Research Fellow
nchen25@jh.edu
Research interests:
Pharmaceutical Sciences
Neuroscience
Bone biology
Recent investigations: Brain regulation on bone remodeling during lactation
Dr. Sisir Kumar Barik
Post-doctoral Research Fellow
sbarik1@jh.edu
My current research interests lie at the intersection of bone biology and endocrinology, with a particular focus on understanding the effect of chronic glucocorticoids in young mouse models and their mechanism of actions in bone metabolism leading to bone disorders such as osteonecrosis and/or osteoporosis.
Recent investigations: Effect of chronic glucocorticoids in the growing skeleton Effect of PTH on chronic low back pain
Dr. Barik is willing to work with students on his projects.
Wenwei Chen
PhD student
wchen146@jh.edu
For his PhD program, Chen is investigating the role of neural circuits in mediating mechanical loading-induced skeletal interoception
Dr. Shen is willing to work with students on her projects.
Dr. Mengxi Shen
Post-doctoral Research Fellow
mshen35@jh.edu
Yiwen Yan
PhD student
yyan61@jh.edu
"I am interested in investigating the role of TGF-β signaling pathway in age-related macular degeneration and Alzheimer's disease."
Recent investigations:
Macular degeneration is developed by accumulative activation of TGF-β in retinal pigment epithelium and choroid layers.
Yiwen is willing to work with students on her PhD project.
Dr. Ke Shen
Post-doctoral Research Fellow
kshen12@jh.edu
Research interests:
Bone remodeling & Mitochondria
Recent investigations:
Role of Angiogenin in regulating bone remodeling
Kangping "Peter" Song
PhD student
ksong9@jh.edu
Research interests:
Bone marrow adipocytes
Alzheimer's disease
PDGF-BB
Peter, who previously completed his graduate studies in MSE with our center, is willing to to work with students who may assist him in his PhD projects.
Jiekang Wang
PhD student
jwang399@jh.edu
Jiekang is interested in investigating the effects of bone secreted factors in progression of Alzheimer's disease.
Recent publications:
Bone-derived PDGF-BB drives brain vascular calcification in male mice.
Elevated PDGF-BB from Bone Impairs Hippocampal Vasculature by Inducing PDGFRβ Shedding from Pericytes.
Dr. Lei Yan
PhD student
lyan22@jh.edu
"As the population ages, the incidence of aging diseases related to the skeletal-muscular system continues to climb, which leads to a lot of pain and disease burden.
I want to identify the key molecules in which nerves play a role in this process and then develop corresponding therapeutic agents to reduce pain and disease."
Recent publications:
Evaluation of Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Surgical Approaches for Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.
Exosomes derived from 3D-cultured MSCs alleviate knee osteoarthritis by promoting M2 macrophage polarization through miR-365a-5p and inhibiting
TLR2/Myd88/NF-κB pathway.
Dr. Yan is willing to work with students on his PhD project.
Arryn Otte
Research Specialist
aotte2@jh.edu
Previously, Arryn investigated how Slit3 by PTH-Induced Osteoblast Secretion Repels Sensory Innervation in Spine Porous Endplates to Relieve Low Back Pain.
His current study investigates mechanisms of pain modification in skeletal degeneration.
He primarily focusses on cellular responses to pain and electrophysiolog.
Dr. Surendra Kumar
Post-doctoral Research Fellow
dpan13@jh.edu
Recent investigations: Cellular Senescence in AD mice model and neurodegenerative diseases
Dr. Kumar is willing to work with students on his projects.