MD Candidate, Weill Cornell Medical College
Biology/Economics, Brown University
Past Employers: Brigham and Women’s Hospital Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Mentors: Dr. Chathuraka Jayasuriya, Dr. Elena Losina, Dr. Jeff Katz

Could you describe the path you’ve taken in meniscus research? How did it evolve?
With the world still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided to take a semester off from school to join Dr. Jayasuriya’s lab at Brown/RIH full-time and immerse myself in stem cell–based approaches to meniscus tear repair. I began by building foundational laboratory skills and assisting a medical student on a project investigating the effects of Kartogenin on cartilage-derived progenitor cells (CPCs). Soon after, I launched my own project examining whether differences in extracellular vesicles produced by CPCs and bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem cells could explain CPCs’ enhanced ability to promote meniscus healing. While I greatly enjoyed this benchwork and look forward to returning to it, my research path has since evolved to include a clinical perspective. After graduating from Brown, I spent two gap years with the Orthopaedics and Arthritis Center for Outcomes Research (OrACORe) at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which partially focuses on optimizing clinical outcomes for patients with meniscal tears and osteoarthritis. This experience taught me to approach meniscus research using a clinically oriented lens and consider how insights from the lab might ultimately translate into clinical trials and patient care.

When you started in meniscus research, what was your biggest question? Do you think it’s answered?
I was initially very interested in how we could accelerate and improve meniscus healing in order to prevent post-traumatic osteoarthritis development after tears (among other negative downstream injury effects). Unfortunately, this question remains largely unanswered, but ongoing advances in biomedical and tissue engineering are steadily bringing us closer to viable solutions.

What collaboration was the most unexpected of your career? How did it impact your work today?
Given the focus of my undergraduate project on progenitor cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their potential contributions to meniscus repair, we were lucky to partner with Dr. Sicheng Wen, the director of RIH’s EV Core. It was great to gain his technical expertise and experience working directly with EVs, and to have his guidance when interpreting our results. We were also given the opportunity to access his lab’s ultracentrifuge and Nanosight devices, which our EV isolation and characterization work possible. This collaboration has deepened my appreciation of the complexity of paracrine signaling and its influence on injury repair and cellular communication.

In your opinion, what is the current open question in the meniscus field right now?
In my view, one of the most pressing questions is how to enhance meniscal capacity for self-regeneration, ideally to reduce the need for or augment surgical intervention and prevent the downstream development of osteoarthritis. I’m specifically interested in how we can recruit and activate native meniscus cells, so they can more effectively localize to injury sites and produce healthy fibrocartilaginous tissue capable of restoring function.

What advice would you give investigators who are just starting out in the field?
While I’m still early in my journey as a meniscus researcher, I would just tell anyone new to the field to get involved as early in their career as possible and learn from their mentors. I was lucky enough to first get involved in research while I was in high school, which helped spark my passion for scientific inquiry. I have since had the privilege of working with fantastic investigators willing to spend the time to help me grow as a meniscus researcher and scientific thinker. Search out those sorts of people, ask thoughtful questions and take advantage of their wealth of knowledge and experience.

When you’re not in the lab, what do you like to do for fun?
I love to cook, so you can often find me in the kitchen experimenting with new recipes. Recently, I’ve been focused on making homemade ice cream and testing the limits of my flavor creativity. I also enjoy traveling and exploring new places, getting out into nature and both playing and watching rugby.

What is the most unusual/unexpected item sitting on your desk right now?
A yellow, egg-shaped, foam stress ball with a smiley face that was originally a participant giveaway in the TeMPO trial (Treatment of Meniscal Tears in OA). It’s a fun reminder of my time spent at OrACORe and the need to continue pushing meniscus research forward.