# PhD Research

# About

Bone health depends on a delicate balance between building and breaking down the extracellular matrix (ECM). In inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, this balance is disrupted, leading to bone loss. My PhD research explored how inflammation affects the ECM by using lab-grown bone-like structures called cell-secreted matrices (CSMs). These matrices were created by growing bone cells (osteoblasts) in the lab, allowing them to build their own ECM before removing the cells to leave behind a scaffold for study.

I investigated how inflammatory molecules (cytokines like IL-1β, TNF-α, and IFN-γ) change ECM composition and how this, in turn, affects new bone cell behavior. To analyze these effects, I used a highly sensitive surface analysis technique called Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), alongside imaging and biochemical techniques. My findings provided new insights into how inflammation weakens bone ECM, which could help design better biomaterials and regenerative treatments for inflammatory bone diseases.

# My Role

I designed and carried out the experiments, developed the protocols for producing and analyzing CSMs, and optimized the use of ToF-SIMS for ECM analysis. I also conducted cell culture experiments to see how osteoblasts responded to cytokine-exposed ECM. My work involved interdisciplinary collaboration with biomaterials scientists, cell biologists, and imaging experts, and included a research visit to the University of Washington’s NESAC/BIO group to refine my mass spectrometry analysis.