Laboratory of Orthopaedic Biochemistry and OA Therapy

Dr. Teresa Morales, Ph.D., directs the laboratory of Orthopaedic Biochemistry and Osteoarthritis (OA) Therapy located in the Jackson Building, Room 1223. OA or degenerative arthritis affects a large segment of the population with over 30 million Americans suffering from advanced forms of this painful disease. It costs the economy billions of dollars and there is no cure. The overall mission of this laboratory is to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the loss of extracellular matrix function that occurs in cartilage during degenerative arthritis. This is essential to design novel and effective methods to engineer chondrocytes to repair the tissue and regain normal function. Our major interests include the molecular interactions and cross-talk of the Insulin-like Growth Factors (IGFs) and the Transforming Growth Factors- , since our previous data indicates that these growth factor families are critically involved in the maintenance of matrix function in cartilage. In particular, a number of leads point to the probability that the IGFs and its auxilliary proteins become dysregulated during OA. The laboratory is funded by the National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIH) to expand knowledge of the mechanisms of action of these proteins in normal and diseased human cartilage. In addition to controlling the metabolism of the extracellular matrix in cartilage, we have recently found that the IGFs also have the capability of inducing chondrocyte migration. The newly discovered migratory potential of chondrocytes is being investigated with the aim of utilizing this cellular property for tissue engineering applications to repair cartilage damaged by sports and other injuries.

For more detailed information, please see:

1. Bhakta, N.R., Garcia, M.A., Frank, E.H., Grodzinsky, A. and Morales, T.I. The Insulin-like Growth
Factors (IGFs) I and II Bind to Articular Cartilage Via the IGF-Binding Proteins. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2000, 275, 5860-5866.
2. Morales, T.I. The Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Proteins in Uncultured Human Cartilage. Arthritis and Rheumatism. 2002, 46, 2358-2367.
3. Morales, T.I. and Hunziker, E.B. Localization of Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein-2 in Chondrocytes of Bovine Articular Cartilage. Journal of Orthopaedic Research, 2003, 21 (2), 290-295.
4. Morales, T.I., Chang, C. and Lauffenburger, D.A. Motile Chondrocytes: Migration Properties and Synthesis of Collagen Type II. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society, 2003. Also in print 2003, Osteoarthritis and Cartilage.