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A first-year medical student at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and recipient of the Cornelius Vanderbilt merit scholarship, Jon has continued his interests in medical research. Jon’s work in the Hankenson laboratory has involved:
- Exploring the effects of novel myokines, CTRP3/15, on bone fracture healing
o I investigated the role of CTRP15, a novel myokine, on bone fracture healing. Through collaboration with the Wong Lab at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, we have evaluated whether CTRP15 plays a role in the cross talk between bone and muscle tissue. There is evidence that this signaling molecule may play an integral part in the fracture healing process, which we believe, may influence healing efficacy in humans. My role was to analyze callus volume and callus mineral content of fracture sites of bones in mice using micro CT scans with and without CTRP15.
o I investigated the potential therapeutic benefits that CTRP3 intraperitoneal injections may have on mice post fracture. Through micro CT analysis, I analyzed the callus volume and callus mineral content of fracture sites. I also analyzed the gene expression of mice treated with CTRP3 post fracture through quantitative RT-PCR.
- Investigating the role of pro-osteoblastic gene, EPDR1, in murine mesenchymal stem cells
o I monitored the knockdown of EPDR1 at the DNA, RNA and protein level using adenovirus mediated CRE expression in mouse bone-marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells harvested from EPDR1 floxed mice. In recombined cells, I used quantitative RT-PCR and western blotting technique to evaluate the expression of osteoblastic, chondrocytic and adipogenic genes.
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