Tribology and Viscosupplements for Articular Cartilage Repair. In addition to our imaging work, we have been interested in the basic biology and tribology of articular cartilage. We have identified the role of growth factors (e.g. TGFbeta) and cytokines in the mechanotransduction of cartilage lubrication. We have also designed novel tissue constructs to better study cartilage using defined model systems, and explored new optical clearing methods for dense collagen- and proteoglycan-rich tissues, as represented by the selected publications below:

Lawrence A., Xu X., Bible M.D., Calve S., Neu C.P., Panitch A. (2015). Synthesis and characterization of a lubricin mimic (mLub) to reduce friction and adhesion on the articular cartilage surface. Biomaterials 73:42-50. PMID 26398308.
Chan S.M.T., Neu C.P., DuRaine G.D., Komvopoulos K., Reddi A.H. (2010). Atomic force microscope investigation of the boundary-lubricant layer in articular cartilage. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 18(7):956-63.
Neu C.P., Komvopoulos K., Reddi A.H., Schmid T.M., Di Cesare, P.A. (2010). Friction Coefficient and Superficial Zone Protein are Increased in Patients with Advanced Osteoarthritis. Arthritis and Rheumatism 62(9):2680-7. PMID: 20499384.
Neu C.P., Khalafi A., Komvopoulos K., Schmid T.M., Reddi A.H. (2007). Mechanotransduction of superficial zone protein by TGF-β signaling. Arthritis and Rheumatism 56(11):3706-37