Nancy Dankwah

Status:

Headshot: 
Major: 
B.S. Biomedical Engineering | University of North Texas 2022
Mentor: 
Dr. Brian Meckes
Research Topic: 
Design of a Platform for Study of Cell-Cell Communication
Abstract: 
Osteoarthritis, the most common form of degenerative arthritis, is caused by the deterioration of the cartilage, causing joint pain and inflammation. In particular, the decay of the interface separating bone and cartilage that occurs during disease progression results in new interactions between bone cells (osteocytes) and cartilage cells (chondrocytes); however, due to the lack of methods available to study contact-dependent cell-cell communication, it is not known how this impacts cell behavior and contributes to osteoarthritis. In this proposal, I plan to create a platform that will allow us to study contact-dependent cell-cell communication in mixed cell populations. First I will synthesize and purify photoactivable molecules that will allow for direct control over the placement of chondrocytes and osteocytes in contact with each other. Then, using this patternable molecule with available photopatterning techniques, I will investigate how connexin43, a gap junction protein, modulates communication between osteocytes and chondrocytes, and how this communication may contribute to alter the behavior of the chondrocytes. Upon the completion of this research, I expect that communication with osteocytes will contribute to dysfunction in chondrocytes, thereby yielding a functional model for studying osteoarthritis progression.