Podium 2: Osteoarthritis, Treatments & Mechanisms

Shalini Sundar, University of Delaware; Renata Linardi, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine; Angela Gaesser, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine; Tianzheng Guo, University of Delaware; Kyla Ortved, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine; Julie Engiles, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine; Justin Parreno, University of Delaware; Charles Dhong, University of Delaware

University of Delaware, University of Pennsylvania

Swelling has presented itself as a key mechanical biomarker of cartilage functionality and integrity during osteoarthritis (OA) disease progression. In healthy unloaded cartilage, the collagen network elastically restrains against internal hydrostatic and proteoglycan-associated electrostatic forces, providing the tissue with a unique swelling capacity. However, molecular reorganization events occurring during OA progression damages the extracellular matrix and thus disrupts normal swelling processes. Traditional measurement techniques used to explore these changes, such as wet weight measurements, often lack resolution and throughput. To address these limitations, we have developed a novel minimally-invasive and high throughput platform, that uses ultrasensitive thin-film graphene strain sensors, to measure the interfacial swelling mechanics of cartilage explants in situ. Through continuous temporal measurements, we demonstrate how we can specifically measure changes in explants during enzymatic and osmotic treatments. Characterization of these interfacial swelling mechanics can provide a more complete mechanical picture of OA disease progression when combined with traditionally used mechanical properties such as stiffness.

Research Area: Cartilage