Amarjit Virdi, PhD

The research of Amarjit S. Virdi, PhD, is focused on bone tissue regeneration and stem cell biology. There is a translational aspect to this research in orthopedics whereby it can be applied to enhance bone fracture healing, implant fixation and implant loosening to investigate responses at the molecular, cell and tissue level.

Orthopedic surgery has made an enormous impact on human health by remedying a variety of skeleton diseases and defects. Nonetheless, some major challenges remain which demand additional resources such as growth factors, cells and biomaterials; the three tenets of tissue engineering. Virdi’s lab has been using pre-clinical models to emulate clinical scenarios observed in orthopedics and investigate tissue repair and response through genetic, cellular and mechanical outcomes. These models include large bone defects, bone formation around metallic prostheses, and loss of bone leading to failure of implants. Such efforts have been supported by foundations, pharmaceutical industry, National Institutes of Health, and Department of Defense.