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People James H-C Wang

Associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Associate Professor, Department of Bioengineering
Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science


Phone: 412-648-9102
Fax: 412-648-8548
Office: BSTWR E1647; 210 Lothrop St.

Professional Interests

James Wang is the Director of the MechanoBiology Laboratory in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Using engineering, cellular, and molecular technologies, he is interested in elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms of tendinopathy using in vitro and in vivo model systems and enhancing the biological and biomechanical properties of healing tendons and ligaments using functional tissue engineering approaches. In addition, he is interested in the mechanotransduction of how mechanical forces are transmitted to cells and translated into anabolic or catabolic cellular responses.

Selected Publications

Wang, JH-C., Goldschmidt-Clermont, P., Moldovan, N., and Yin, FC-P. Leukotrienes and tyrosine phosphorylation mediate stretching-induced actin cytoskeletal remodeling in endothelial cells. Cell Motility & Cytoskeleton  46:137-145, 2000.

Wang, JH-C., Goldschmidt-Clermont, P., and Yin, FC-P. Contractility and reactive oxygen species affect actin cytoskeleton remodeling of the endothelial cell to mechanical stretching. Annals of Biomed Eng 28: 1165-1171, 2000.

Wang, JH-C., Jia, F., Gilbert, TW., Woo, SL-Y. Cell orientation determines the alignment of cell-produced collagenous matrix. J Biomech 36:97-102, 2003.

Wang, JH-C., Jia, F., Yang, GG., Yang, SH., Stone, D., Woo, SL-Y. Cyclic mechanical stretching of human tendon fibroblasts increases the production of prostaglandin E2 and levels of cyclooxygenase expression: a novel in vitro model study. Connect Tissue Res 44:128-133, 2003.

Wang, JH-C., Yang, G., Li, ZZ, , Shen, W.  Fibroblast responses to mechcanical stretching depends on cell orientation, J Biomech, 37:573-576, 2004.

Campbell, B.H., C. Agarwal, Wang, JH-C.  TGF-b1, TGF-b3, and PGE2 regulate contraction of human patellar tendon fibroblasts. Biomech Model Mechanobiol. 2:239-45, 2004.

Wang, JH-C., Li, ZZ., Yang,GG, and Khan M. Repetitively stretched tendon fibroblasts produce inflammatory mediators. Clin Orthop 422:243-250, 2004.

Wang, JH-C., Yang, G.G., Li, Z.Z. Controlling cell response to repetitive mechanical stretching. Annals of Biomedical Engineering, in press.

Alaseirlis, D.A., Li, Y., Cilli, F., Fu, F.H., Wang, JH-C. Decreasing inflammatory response of injured patellar tendons results in increased collagen fibril diameters. Connect Tissue Res, in press.

Curriculum Vitae

Since his arrival at the University of Pittsburgh in 1998, Dr. Wang has actively developed a research program in the areas of cell mechanobiology, wound healing, and functional tissue engineering. As the Director of the Mechanobiology Laboratory, Dr. Wang and co-workers investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms of tendinopathy, a prevalent tendon disorder that affects millions of Americans in both occupational and athletic settings. Using a novel culture system he has developed, his group has shown that human tendon fibroblasts produce inflammatory mediators (PLA2, COX, PGE2, and LTB4) in response to repetitive mechanical stretching conditions, and that blocking PGE2 production leads to increased LTB4 levels, and vice versa. Animal studies from his group have further demonstrated that repetitive exposure of the tendon to PGE2 can result in degenerative changes within the tendon.

Furthermore, Dr. Wang’s laboratory investigates the effect of different mechanical stretching conditions influence the inflammatory response of tendon fibroblasts and the cellular and molecular mechanisms of scar tissue formation in injured tendons and ligaments. The cellular and molecular mechanisms of tendon/ligament tissue responses to the mechanical loading are also being explored. To this end, his laboratory has developed a dynamic culture force monitor (D-CFM) to study the effect of mechanical forces on the anabolic and catabolic responses of tendon fibroblasts in a collagen matrix and matrix remodeling. Additionally, in collaboration with Dr. Qing-Ming Wang in the Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering, micro-fabrication and sensor technologies are applied to study  fundamental studies on cell and molecular biology, including cell contraction, protein production,  and mechanotransduction.

Dr. Wang’s laboratory is funded by NIH, Arthritis Foundation, Whitaker Foundation, Alternatives Research and Development Foundation, CMRF, Pittsburgh Foundation, and other funding sources.

faculty

The Department of Mechanical Engineering has 16 full time, 6 adjuct, and 5 emeritus faculty members