Link N Suppresses Periostin Expression in Human Osteoarthritic Cartilage

Description

In this presentation, Sunny Shih, a master's student in Dr. Antoniou and Dr. Mwale's lab, discusses her thesis focused on targeting periostin in the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). Sunny opens by highlighting the debilitating nature of OA, which is characterized by cartilage degradation and a substantial societal and economic burden, currently lacking effective medical treatments. She introduces periostin, a secreted protein associated with tissue repair and disease, and explains her findings of elevated periostin levels in human OA chondrocytes. Sunny elaborates on how increased periostin promotes destructive pathways in cartilage, while her lab's work with a peptide called Link N shows promise in suppressing these harmful effects. Through experiments in rabbit and canine models, as well as human chondrocytes, she demonstrates that Link N reduces periostin expression, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic target for OA. Sunny concludes by acknowledging her mentors and collaborators, emphasizing the significance of Link N in understanding and combating degenerative joint diseases.

DOI: 10.1302/3114-220917

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