We are excited to share that we received a Center for Clinical and Translational (CCTR) Endowment Fund award for our work on unraveling the role of Advanced Glycation End-Products (AGEs) in aging musculoskeletal tissues. This award is funded by the VCU CCTR Endowment Fund and a CTSA award from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.  This award will help us to continue to develop our benchtop model which allows us to investigate the impact of AGE crosslinks on mechanics and cell-matrix interactions are multiple levels of collagen organization. Understanding how AGEs effect cells at various levels of collagen organization allows use to better predict how AGEs will impact tissues throughout the body composed of various degrees of collagen fiber organization. By better understanding how cells and tissues are effected by AGEs we hope to develop targeted therapeutics for reducing age-related injury and disease in musculoskeletal tissues.  

We had a fantastic time back at our first in-person ORS in 2 years!! Ethan and Austin did a great job presenting their work, we had so much fun catching up with all our friends, and Austin won a Meniscus Section Poster Award! Congratulations Austin!!!