Cartilage Biology Group

The cartilage biology working group focuses on the mechanisms that lead to the development and progression of degenerative cartilage changes in the context of osteoarthritis. We pursue the hypothesis that a loss of phenotypic stability in chondrocytes of the articular cartilage is a very central and early event in the development of osteoarthritis and leads to the initiation of differentiation processes that are similar to processes of endochondral ossification in the embryo. Within various projects, we use in vivo murine models to investigate biochemical and mechanosensitive mechanisms that are involved in maintaining the phenotypic stability of articular chondrocytes, the loss of which leads to osteoarthritis. From this we aim to derive new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of osteoarthritis and joint injury.

  • Team

    Dr. Joanna Sherwood
    Group Leader
    Cartilage Biology Group
    Room: 0.023
    Phone: +49 251 83-56757
    Fax: +49 251 83-57462
    Email
     

    Rojiar Asgarian
    Phd student
    Cartilage Biology Group
    Department of Molecular Medicine
    Room: 0.054
    Phone: +49 251 83-44272
    Fax: +49 251 83-57462
    Email

  • Projects

  • Projekte

    Completed and current third-party funded projects:

    IMF Innovative Medizinische Forschungsförderung Münster
    Dr. Joanna Sherwood
    CXCR-2-mediated cell-matrix interactions in cartilage reapair and osteoarthritis
    2021-2024


    DFG SH832/4-1
    Dr. Joanna Sherwood
    Modulation von Signalwegen entzündlicher und degenerativer Prozesse in der Arthrose durch den mechanosensitiven rezeptoraktivierten Kationenkanal-6 (TRPC6)
    2021-2024


    Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
    Prof. Dr. Thomas Pap (Verbundkoordinator)
    Verbund: "Integrative präklinische Strategien zur Untersuchung des lokalen Mesenchyms als Regulator bei entzündlichen muskuloskelettalen Erkrankungen"
    Teilprojekt P1 (Prof. Pap, Dr. Sherwood, Dr. Korb-Pap): "Targeting cartilage damage as a trigger of epigentic changes and mesenchymal activation in inflammatory musculoskeletal diseases" 
    1. Projektphase 2020-2021


    Rheumastiftung Berlin
    Prof. Thomas Pap
    Neue Konzepte zur Diagnostik und Therapie der Chondrokalzinose
    2018-2020

    IMF Innovative Medizinische Forschungsförderung Münster
    Dr. Joanna Sherwood
    Regulation of CXCR2-mediated cartilage homeostasis via the transient receptor potential calcium channel TRPC6
    2017-2018 +1

    Dr. Jessica Bertrand
    Therapie inflammatorischer Erkrankungen mit Tyrosinkinase-Hemmern: Modulation der Wirkstoffaufnahme durch Pathologie-assoziierte und genetische Veränderungen des "Multidrug And Toxin Extrusion Protein1" (MATE1)-Transporters
    2011-2013

    Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)
    Prof. Dr. Thomas Pap
    Mechanosensitive Signalkomplexe diesen als frühe therpeutische Ziele in der posttraumatischen Osteoarthrose (OA) SP08 im Verbundprojekt: Verständnis und Prävention der Progression der primären Osteoarthrose (Overload-PrevOP)
    2015-2019

    EU-Förderung (EU)
    Prof. Thomas Pap, Projekt-Nr: 305815 D-BOARD
    Novel Diagnostics and Biomarkers for early Identification of Chronic Inflammatory Joint Diseases
    Partner No. 7, D-BOARD
    2012-2015

    Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
    DFG BE4328/5-1     (Emmy-Noether Nachwuchsgruppe)
    Dr. Jessica Bertrand
    Regulation der phänotypischen Stabilität von Chondrozyten durch transmembrane Heparansulfat-Proteoglycane der Syndecan-Familie2012-2017

    DFG PA689/12-1
    Prof. Thomas Pap
    Regulation of cytokinde-dependent calcification of cartillage tissue by NPP1 and syndecan-4
    2011-2014

    DFG PA689/13-1
    Prof. Thomas Pap, Prof. Alexander Schmidt
    Das autonom zellgängige bakterielle Effektorprotein YopM als neues biologisches Therapeutikum
    2011-2014

    DFG PA689/10-1
    Prof. Thomas Pap, Dr Victor Wixler
    Das LIM-Domänen Protein FHL2 als neuer Regulator des aggressiv-invasiven Verhaltens synovialer Fibroblasten bei rheumatoider Arthritis
    2009-2011


    DGRh Start-up Förderung
    Dr. Jessica Bertrand
    The role of TRPC1 in osteoclast mediated bone destruction during rheumatoid arthritis
    2012-2013

  • Publications

    Relevant publikations

    Sherwood J, Bertrand J, Nalesso G, Poulet B, Pisillides A, Brandolini L, Karystinou A, De Bari C, Luyten FP, Pitzalis C, Pap T, Dell'Accio F (2015) A homeostatic function of CXCR2 signalling in articular cartilage.  Ann Rheum Dis. 2015 Dec; 74(12):2207-15. doi: 10.1136/ annrheumdis-2014-205546.

    Caxaria S, Kouvatsos N, Eldridge SE, Alvarez-Fallas M, Thorup AS, Cici D, Barawi A, Arshed A, Strachan D, Carletti G, Huang X, Bharde S, Deniz M, Wilson J, Thomas BL, Pitzalis C, Cantatore FP, Sayilekshmy M, Sikandar S, Luyten FP, Pap T, Sherwood JC, Day AJ, Dell'Accio F (2023) Disease modification and symptom relief in osteoarthritis using a mutated GCP-2/CXCL6 chemokine.EMBO Mol Med 2023 Jan 11;15(1):e16218. doi: 10.15252/emmm.202216218. Epub 2022 Dec 12

    Roelofs AJ, Kania K, Rafipay AJ, Sambale M, Kuwahara ST, Collins FL, Smeeton J, Serowoky MA, Rowley L, Wang H, Gronewold R, Kapeni C, Méndez-Ferrer S, Little CB, Bateman JF,Pap T, Mariani FV, Sherwood J, Crump JG, De Bari C (2020) Identification of skeletal progenitor cells forming osteophytes in osteoarthritis.Ann Rheum Dis. 2020 Dec;79(12):1625-1634. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-218350. Epub 2020 Sep 22.

    Sherwood J (2019) Osteoarthritis year in review 2018: biology.  Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2019 Mar;27(3):365-370. doi: 10.1016/j.joca.2018.10.005. Epub 2018 Oct 25.

    Stolberg-Stolberg J, Sambale M,  Hansen U, Raschke ASM, Bertrand J,Pap T, Sherwood J (2020) Cartilage Trauma Induces Necroptotic Chondrocyte Death and Expulsion of Cellular Contents.Int J Mol Sci 2020 Jun 12;21(12)4204. doi: 10.3390/ijms21124204.

    To get an overview of all our publications please see our IMM publication list: https://www.medizin.uni-muenster.de/imm/forschung/publikationen.html