SBMS Trainee: Wonsae Lee
Graduate Advisor: Dr. Yi-xian Qin
Clinical Advisor: Dr. James Penna
Graduate Program: Biomedical Engineering
Email: Wonsae.lee@stonybrook.edu
Osteoarthritis is increasing source of pain, disability and distress in an aging population, and is the most prevalent joint disease in the United States. Knee osteoarthritis accounts for more than 80% of the disease’s total burden and yet no clear mechanism and source of pain are revealed. Among complex interactions in OA joint, it has been proposed that dorsal root ganglion sensory neurons innervate toward the joint space. Another symptom of OA is structural changes to subchondral bone. While the cause of subchondral bone changes in OA is unclear, there is a possible link between neuropeptides, CGRP and substance P, and subchondral bone metabolism in OA. With promising previous works from our lab with mitigating the pathophysiological symptoms of OA using low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), my research will evaluate the roles of neuropeptides, CGRP and substance P, in bone metabolism and osteoarthritis pain mechanism under ultrasound treatment.
